Pistons’ Killian Hayes, Magic’s Moe Wagner Ejected After Melee

Tempers flared in Detroit as Wagner and Hayes got into it in front of the Pistons’ bench.

Tempers flared during Wednesday night’s game between the Magic and Pistons in Detroit, resulting in a pair of ejections and a blow to the back of Orlando forward Moe Wagner’s head.

As Wagner and Pistons guard Killian Hayes chased a loose ball into the backcourt, Wagner lowered his shoulder and shoved Hayes out of bounds as the two were running along the sideline. The play occurred right near the Detroit bench, and as several Pistons players started to jaw at Wagner, Hayes came up behind in and delivered a strike with his forearm to the back of Wagner’s head.

Moe Wagner shoved Killian Hayes into the Pistons' bench.

Hayes then punched Wagner in the back of the head in retaliation 😲

Mo Wagner, Killian Hayes, and Hamidou Diallo were ejected from the game.pic.twitter.com/tGs2e51jnF

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 29, 2022

Both players were ejected from the game, along with Pistons guard Hamidou Diallo.

The incident harkened back to the infamous Malice in the Palace incident from 2004, when the Pistons and Pacers got into a brawl at the end of a regular-season game at the Palace of Auburn Hills that erupted into chaos when players and fans began to fight each other.

That night might have occurred nearly two decades ago, but that didn’t stop the Little Caesars Arena PA announcer on Wednesday night to issue a stern warning to spectators: “The moment you move, you’re going to jail.”