The NBA League Office has suspended Detroit Pistons point guard Killian Hayes and Orlando Magic big man Mortiz Wagner for multiple games following last night’s second-quarter scuffle at Little Caesars Arena, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Hayes received a 3-game suspension for his left hand blow to the back of Wagner’s head. While, the Magic will be without Wagner for the remainder of the week as the starting center will serve a 2-game absence for his dangerous shove to Hayes, which instigated the scuffle.
NBA has suspend Detroit guard Killian Hayes for three games and Orlando’s Mo Wagner for two games for altercation on Wednesday night.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 30, 2022
Wojnarowski also reported that Pistons wing Hamidou Diallo will serve a 1-game suspension for his involvement in the first half scuffle. Upon Wagner’s initial shove of Hayes, Diallo shoved the Magic center from behind into the bench, further escalating the situation.
Orlando Head Coach Jamal Mosley will have his work cut out for him in the next couple of games, with Wojnarowski noting that 8 Magic players will miss 1 game for leaving the teams bench area upon the tussle breaking-out.
Each of Cole Anthony, RJ Hampton, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. were deemed to leave the bench and will serve time on the sidelines.
NBA also suspended Detroit’s Hamidou Diallo for one game, and eight Magic players one game for leaving the bench — Cole Anthony, RJ Hampton, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 30, 2022
Anthony, Bamba, Carter, Jr., Hampton and Gary Harris will serve their suspensions Friday vs. the Wizards. While, Kevon Harris, Schofield and Franz Wagner will be suspended for Orlando’s following game on Jan. 4.
For Detroit, the point guard situation just got alot worse for the next 3 games. Killian Hayes had been far and away the teams best ball handling option, especially as a starter. In the wake of Cade Cunningham electing to undergo season ending surgery, Hayes had been averaging 11.6 points and 6.8 assists on career-best efficiency in 24 games as the starting point guard.
However theres always a silver-lining amidst these type of situations. With Hayes out, Jaden Ivey is now the teams number one option at the guard position. Since returning from a knee injury suffered in late November, Ivey has struggled to string together a host of consistent games. If Detroit are to have any success in the next week, Ivey will need to find a rythm.
In terms of rotations, it’s safe to assume Cory Jospeh and Kevin Knox will replace Hayes and Diallo in Coach Casey’s 10-man rotation. Upon Hayes’ first half ejection on Wednesday night, Casey elected to start Alec Burks in the second half. If Burks doesn’t recieve the starting nod, expect Cory Joseph to be paired in the back-court with Ivey for Friday nights contest with the Chicago Bulls.
As always, let us know your thoughts on the suspensions, did the NBA get it right?