Wild scenes unfolded in Detroit, where LeBron James was ejected for an errant swinging arm that drew blood from the face of the Pistons Isaiah Stewart.
In battling for a rebound after a free throw with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter, James attempted to shake loose of Stewart, swinging his arm through and collecting the Pistons big man in the eye area.
Stewart was incensed by the act, attempting to run at LeBron on several occasions while being held back by multiple staff members.
With blood streaming from his eye, Stewart would make continuous attempts to get at the Lakers superstar each time he appeared to calm down.The Lakers and Pistons had to be separated multiple times after this play between LeBron and Isaiah Stewart. pic.twitter.com/im0o7fXeoI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 22, 2021
With Stewart finally back in the tunnel, the incident was reviewed, as James was assessed a Flagrant 2 penalty, resulting in just the second ejection of his career. Stewart was also ejected, while Russell Westbrook was handed a technical foul for his involvement in the scrap following the incident.
In a postgame interview conducted by The Athletic's James Edwards III, Crew Chief Scott Foster addressed the incident, saying that “upon the free throw the initial contact (was) deemed a loose ball foul by Isaiah Stewart and then a dead ball act by LeBron James, deemed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 for unnecessary and excessive contact above the shoulder."
Foster continued, adding that “Isaiah got two technical fouls for multiple unsportsmanlike acts during the altercation," while Westbrook was assessed a technical foul after being deemed an "escalator" in the situation.
James, who did not speak with the media postgame, finished the night with 10 points and five assists in 21 minutes.
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