Isaiah Stewart’s anger left Anthony Davis shocked, says LeBron James tried to apologize several times but the Pistons center was not backing down.
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LA Lakers pulled a 17-point comeback victory over Detroit Pistons Sunday night. LeBron James‘ ejection fueled AD and Westbrook in the final quarter when they restricted Pistons to mere 17 points.
Detroit fans have witnessed several brawls in their arena over the years, the most famous one being Malice in the Palace. Although this altercation did not escalate to that level, it left Isaiah Stewart with a bloody face.
It was a much-needed win for the Los Angeles Lakers after two tough losses on the road. The 4x champion was ejected for only the second time in his 19-year career, the first came in 2017 for arguing with an official.
The altercation took place early in the third quarter when the Lakers were down 12 against a team with one of the worst records in the NBA. The Lakers were clearly frustrated which led to LeBron James striking Stewart across the face. The Pistons starting center had only scored 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist until then.
James was charged with a Flagrant-2 for his actions whereas Isaiah was assessed with a loose ball foul and two technicals.
AD says he’s never seen anything like what Stewart did. Added LeBron was trying to apologize and say “my bad” after hitting him but Stewart was clearly not having it.
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) November 22, 2021
Anthony Davis defends LeBron James, tells how Isaiah Stewart went after the King in the tunnel
The foul was not on purpose as LeBron tried to calm him down and apologize. However, Isaiah Steward was enraged and for good reason, as the incident left his eye bloodied. Officials tried to stop him but he slipped away several times in an attempt to get even with the King.
Russell Westbrook and several other Lakers came to LeBron’s rescue and escalated the fight. As a result, they were handed a technical as well. In the post-game press conference AD addressed the fight and defended his teammate, “Everyone in the league knows Bron isn’t dirty…it wasn’t on purpose. We weren’t going to allow him to charge our brother like that”.
“Everyone in the league knows Bron isn’t dirty…it wasn’t on purpose. We weren’t going to allow him to charge our brother like that. We just wanted to get the win for [Bron] and our team.” Anthony Davis with @LakersReporter on what he saw on the play between Bron & Stewart. pic.twitter.com/PSSK9W2Ra7
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 22, 2021
Davis had a monstrous night against the Detroit Pistons with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 5 blocks. What cannot be inferred from the stat sheet is the excellent defence on display tonight by the big man. He put the clamps on rookie Cade Cunningham.
Lakers will face New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers back to back before returning to LA.
