Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen McDaniels Scuffle Doesn't Stop Wizards Flow

Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen McDaniels' scuffle briefly interrupted the first quarter of Wizards vs Hornets. Coach Wes Unseld Jr called the altercation a “dust up.”

Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen Daniels found themselves in a scuffle on Sunday night during the Wizards versus Charlotte game. As Porzingis drove to the basket, McDaniels knocked the ball away. McDaniels' arm got tied up with Porzingis who continued to pull him out of bounds as he lost his balance.

That’s when things took an odd turn and suddenly McDaniels wrapped his arms around Porzingis aggressively and pushed him towards the Wizards bench. Wizards and Hornets players as well as Coach Wes Unseld Jr. stepped in to break up the melee. 

Mostly much ado about nothing, but not sure how Kristaps Porzingis is the only person given a technical foul here when Jalen McDaniels is trying to drive him back.

Terry Rozier missed the free throw, so ball don't lie. pic.twitter.com/icymoYnV1F

— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) November 20, 2022

After the altercation was successfully broken up, the referees decided to review the play to determine how to handle the fouls. They eventually determined Porzingis was the aggressor from their vantage point and gave him a technical foul. McDaniels was assessed a personal foul for his role. 

RELATED: Get To Know Kristaps Porzingis

With the nickname 'Unicorn', altercations aren't usually the first thought to come to mind but this isn't Porzingis' first time in the ring. Back in 2019, video surfaced of KP leaving a club in his hometown Lativa with blood on his face and a ripped shirt. It was reported that KP was attacked first and was protecting himself by fighting back.

Even though that situation was off the court, Porzingis isn't afraid to stand up for himself and his teammates. While playing for the Dallas Mavericks, Porzinigis stepped in for guard Luka Doncic during a game against the Clippers. 

During the postgame press conference, Coach Wes Unseld Jr. gave us his perspective on what happened: "I wouldn't really call that an altercation. Guys just got a little frustrated and got tangled up...but cooler heads prevailed and more importantly we were able to get back to playing our brand of ball."

Clearly it was only a short setback because the Wizards did get back to playing their brand of ball. They closed out their six-game home stand with a 106-102 win over the Hornets. Apparently a little "dust up" never hurt anybody.