LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended for one game and Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart was suspended two games for their roles in an ugly incident during Sunday’s Lakers-Pistons game.
The NBA announced the suspensions Monday, and both will affect games on Tuesday. James will not play when the Lakers visit Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks. Stewart will miss the Pistons’ home game against Miami on Tuesday and their game Wednesday at Milwaukee.
James will forfeit about $284,000 in salary, while Stewart will lose about $45,000. It is the first suspension in the 19-year career of James, who has won four NBA titles with three teams.
The Lakers and Pistons meet again Sunday in Los Angeles, and James and Stewart will both be eligible to play.
Stewart, the NBA said, was disciplined for “escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing … James in an unsportsmanlike manner.”
James merited the suspension “for recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation,” the NBA said.
The incident happened in the third quarter, starting when James and Stewart were jostling for position during a free throw. Their arms appeared to get intertwined and James swung his elbow, making contact with Stewart, who quickly had blood streaming from above his eye. James, it appeared, attempted to defuse the situation after realizing he’d made contact with Stewart and drawn blood.
It didn’t take long for most of the players from both teams – along with the referees, coaches and security personnel – to join the fray and try to keep James and Stewart separated. Within 25 seconds of the contact being made by James, there were at least 25 people on the floor. Referee Phenizee Ransom attached himself to James.
Cooler heads seemed to prevail, for a moment. Stewart was guided away from the spot where the contact occurred by teammates and coaches, though he appeared to become more incensed along the way. He then tried to double back – on multiple occasions – and run toward James. A number of people again blocked his path and made sure the incident didn’t get uglier.
Pistons Coach Dwane Casey said Stewart needed eight stitches to close the wound, adding that he did not think what Stewart did in reaction to the play merited a suspension.
“His eye got cracked all the way open. He was upset for a reason,” Casey said.
Stewart eventually left the floor, seeming to sprint again as he did so, and there was concern that he would try to head back toward the floor through another entry tunnel. Pistons guard Cory Joseph even headed toward that tunnel, just in case – and with the blessing of referee Scott Foster, the game’s crew chief.
“After Isaiah Stewart left the court, Cory was anticipating he may come around the back of (the) house and enter the Laker bench from the opposite side,” Foster told a pool reporter after the game. “So, he was going to intercept him. I actually told Cory that would be good.”
Stewart was assessed two technical fouls, James was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2, and both players were ejected.
James has been sanctioned multiple times by the league in the past, receiving fines for everything from flopping, skipping news conferences and kicking a water bottle. But the suspension is his first, and means he will miss the Lakers’ lone game this season at Madison Square Garden – one of his favorite arenas.
MONDAY’S GAMES
NETS 117, CAVALIERS 112: Kevin Durant returned to Brooklyn’s lineup and scored 27 points, James Harden added 14 points and a season-high 14 assists, and the Nets won at Cleveland.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who won for the sixth time in seven games.
Durant was back after missing one game with a sprained right shoulder. With the Nets down 105-102, the All-Star forward made a tough baseline jumper and layup to put Brooklyn back in front.
Cleveland’s Ricky Rubio hit a 3-pointer to pull the Cavs within one, but Aldridge scored on a putback when the Cavs failed to box out. Durant then grabbed a rebound off a Cleveland miss before firing a pass to an unguarded James Johnson for a layup to make it 113-108.
Durant dropped four free throws in the last 13.8 seconds left to ice it.
HORNETS 109, WIZARDS 103: Terry Rozier scored a season-high 32 points and hit his eighth three-pointer of the game with 12.9 seconds left as Charlotte won at Washington.
LaMelo Ball had 28 points and 13 rebounds to help Charlotte win its last six of seven – including two over Washington in the last week.
Montrezl Harrell scored 24 points and had a season-high 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
HAWKS 113, THUNDER 101: Trae Young scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half, Clint Capela finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds, and Atlanta closed a perfect five-game homestand by beating Oklahoma City.
Thunder rookie Josh Giddey, a 19-year old guard from Australia, had with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Luguentz Dort added 15 points.
Oklahoma City was without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed his first game of the season with a sprained right ankle.
PACERS 109, BULLS 77: Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points, Malcolm Brogdon added 16 more, and visiting Indiana routed Chicago.
Myles Turner also scored 12 points and hauled in 10 rebounds in Indiana’s second straight win.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 18 points, and Zach LaVine scored 17 – just the second time this season he was held to fewer than 20 points.
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