Orlando Magic big man Moe Wagner was among three players ejected for their roles in the altercation during the second quarter of Wednesday’s matchup against the Pistons in Detroit.
Wagner was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2, which results in an ejection, for shoving Pistons guard Killian Hayes into Detroit’s bench on the sideline as Hayes was attempting to chase down a loose ball in Orlando’s backcourt with 33.9 seconds remaining in the first half.
A heated altercation between the two teams broke out after Wagner’s shove.
Hamidou Diallo elbowed Wagner in the back in front of the Pistons’ bench before Hayes hit Wagner in the back of the head with his forearm, leading to Wagner falling forward into the Magic’s bench and appearing to momentarily lose consciousness.
The entire Pistons’ bench surrounded Wagner before nearly the Magic’s entire bench — players and coaches — ran over to the Pistons’ side, leading to heated shoving and words exchanged.
A pair of Pistons assistant coaches covered Wagner up during the altercation before he was helped back to his feet and walked off the court.
The officials reviewed the altercation for nearly 10 minutes before Wagner, Diallo, and Hayes were ejected.
Diallo and Hayes were deemed escalators of the altercation and given technical fouls, resulting in their ejections.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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