Four players have been suspended by the NBA in connection with a brawl that broke out during the Detroit Pistons-Charlotte Hornets game Monday night, the league announced Wednesday.

It was the same four players that were ejected during the Pistons' 110-104 victory at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Detroit center Isaiah Stewart was suspended seven games for leaving the bench area, agressively entering an on-court altercation and fighting. This is Stewart's fifth suspension in his six-year NBA career. One resulted from an altercation with the Lakers' LeBron James in 2021 and another from an altercation that spilled into the stands during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year.

"The length of Stewart's suspension is based in part on his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts," the NBA said in a statement.

Read more:Four players ejected after punches thrown during Pistons' win over Hornets

Charlotte forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté were each suspended four games for fighting and escalating the altercation. Detroit center Jalen Duren received a two-game suspension for initiating the altercation and fighting.

The incident took place midway through the third quarter after Duren was fouled by Diabaté while driving toward the basket. Duren approached Diabaté and the two men appeared to bump into each other. Duren then appeared to hit Diabaté in the face with an open hand to ignite a brawl that lasted more than 30 seconds.

Bridges and Duren exchanged punches at one point, and Stewart left the bench and fought with Bridges.

The suspensions begin Wednesday, when the Pistons play the Raptors in Toronto and the Hornets host the Atlanta Hawks.

Read more:Lakers, missing their entire starting lineup, can't handle Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs

Soon after the punishments were announced, Diabaté posted an apology to "the Hornets coaches, staff, front office, teammates, and best fans in the NBA" on his Instagram Story.

"As a player, I pride myself on my passion and my commitment to giving everything on the court during every possession," he wrote. "However, in the heat of a highly competitive and physical matchup, I allowed my emotions to get the better of me, and for that, I am truly sorry.

"I understand the responsibility I carry as a professional athlete and as a role model. I view this as a learning experience and am fully committed to growing from it both as a player and a person. ... Thank you for your understanding and continued support."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MILAN (AP) — US speedskater Jordan Stolz wins the 1,000 meters for his first Olympic gold medal.

LOS ANGELES — When an NBA team without several starters plays against a reasonably healthy team, like the Lakers did when they hosted the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday in their second night of a back-to-back, two things typically happen.

The short-handed team is likely going to lose, with the talent disparity and lack of on-court familiarity too great for the under-manned team to overcome. 

This came to fruition, with the Spurs blowing out the Lakers 136-108 in a game the hosts at one point were down by 41 points and trailed by at least 25 points for the entire second half.

But what also happens is that players who are either at the back end of the rotation or don’t regularly play receive playing time they usually don’t. 

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Bronny James was among those players, with the second-year guard and son of Lakers star LeBron James having his highest-scoring and most productive game of the season so far. 

The younger James scored a season-high 12 points against the Spurs to go along with a season-high-tying six assists and three rebounds in 25 minutes. 

“Feel different,” Bronny said. “Feel way more comfortable. My teammates believe in me; my coaches beleive in me. That’s all I’ve wanted. It’s just good to get out there and take advantage of the minutes I get.”

What was different about the younger James’ performance against the Spurs is that it came without him receiving as much playing time with the franchise’s South Bay G League affiliate leading up to Tuesday.

In his rookie season, James played 18 games with South Bay as part of his development process, including 12 by mid-February. He didn’t go more than a month without playing a game in the G League, in addition to most of his playing time with the Lakers coming once the result of the game was decided. 

He’s played in nine G League games so far this season, with most of his playing time with the Lakers once again coming in garbage time outside of briefly being in the rotation in the early parts of the season when the team was short-handed. 

Despite the irregular playing time, James looked as comfortable as he has so far in his brief career.

He confidently shot and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. There was the sequence where he blocked Kelly Olynyk at the rim before he knocked down a step-back 3 in Olynyk’s face on the ensuing possession. 

Bronny James Jr. 12 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST, 1 BLK, 5/10 FG, 2/2 3FG, 60% TS vs Spurs https://t.co/ygXLCgwqhSpic.twitter.com/jN2yrzXOoA

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) February 11, 2026

Coach JJ Redick mentioned he had two “really good” defensive possessions in the first half against Victor Wembanyama, who was virtually unstoppable en route to a 40 point-12 rebound double-double in 26 minutes. 

“I’d say defensively, that’s my role that I want to excel at, especially on this team,” Bronny said. “We have a lot of guys, Luka [Doncic], LeBron [James], [Austin Reaves]. Those guys can go get buckets whenever we need them. But they need guys like myself, [Jarred Vanderbilt], Jake [LaRavia], guys who can defend. Definitely get more satisfaction out of that.”

James provided another highlight during a night that didn’t feature many for the Lakers with his alley-oop in the fourth quarter to rookie forward Adou Thiero, who played in his first game since late December after being sidelined for six weeks because of a sprained right MCL.

“He had a great game, just shooting open shots, knocking them down, creating for others,” Thiero said. “I saw Bronny had the balI. I feel like we have the connection now to where I put my finger in the air and he already knows to throw the ball up.”

Tuesday’s performance likely won’t have any impact on James’ standing in the rotation.

But on a night in which the result was pretty much decided before the opening tipoff, James provided what you’d want to see from a player in his position. 

The depleted Golden State Warriors are set to host a San Antonio Spurs team riding a five-game winning streak.

Jonathan Kuminga is gone. Jimmy Butler is out for the season. Steph Curry is hurt. 

As a result, my Spurs vs. Warriors predictions are backing Gui Santos to rise to the occasion tonight.

Read more in my NBA picks for Wednesday, February 11. 

Spurs vs Warriors prediction

Spurs vs Warriors best bet: Gui Santos Over 12.5 points (+105)

Gui Santos has been the biggest beneficiary of the trade and injury-related attrition within the Golden State Warriors' rotation. He's scored in double figures in seven straight games after reaching that mark just twice in his first 36 appearances. 

The former G League standout is now attacking off the dribble and creating his own offense. Santos has started each of the last four games and seen his playing time jump from 12:45 per night to 29:30. 

Santos's shot attempts have also climbed from 3.4 per game to 9.5.

Spurs vs Warriors same-game parlay

The Warriors are just 1-4 against the spread over their last five contests.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs are surging. During their five-game winning streak, the Spurs have defeated three teams with winning records, including the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Golden State has also pumped the brakes offensively. The Warriors have finished at least five points below today's total in three of their last four matches, failing to crack triple digits twice.

Spurs vs Warriors SGP

• Gui Santos Over 11.5 points
• Spurs -7.5
• Warriors team total Under 106.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Green Light

Moses Moody has dished out six assists across the last three games, while Draymond Green provides some of the only remaining size on the Golden State roster.

• Spurs -7.5
• Moses Moody Over 1.5 assists
• Draymond Green Over 4.5 assists

Spurs vs Warriors odds

• Spread: Spurs -5.5 (-110) | Warriors +5.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Spurs -205 | Warriors +170
• Over/Under: Over 216.5 (-110) | Under 216.5 (-110)

Spurs vs Warriors betting trend to know

San Antonio has hit the moneyline in 19 of its last 30 road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Warriors.

How to watch Spurs vs Warriors

Spurs vs Warriors latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Before attending Tuesday’s game between my Spurs and the hometown Lakers, I investigated how the teams have performed against each other over the years.  A bit of research revealed that the Spurs have a winning record against every team in the NBA except one – the Lakers.  The all-time regular season record going into Tuesday’s game was Lakers 133, Spurs 118. (Spoiler alert: the score is now 133-119.)  Broken down by decade:

1970s (Lakers, 9-5)

1980s (Lakers, 42-22)

1990s (Spurs, 30-19)

2000s (Lakers, 35-29)

2010s (Spurs, 25-14)

2020s (Lakers, 14-5)

So you don’t have to do the research, the second best record against the Spurs is held by the Phoenix Suns, with the Spurs leading that series 128-114.  The worst?  The Brooklyn Nets, which has a 31-81 record against the Spurs, and presumably have a losing record against every team in the league.  No, I am not going to do the research to confirm.

This is a long way of saying that the Spurs and the Lakers have a long history against each other, hard-fought and evenly matched.  The highlight may have been the six-year stretch 1999-2004, as the clubs faced each other in the playoffs in every one of those seasons, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals each year and the NBA Championship for the first five years of that stretch. In 2004, the Pistons broke the streak by beating the Lakers in the Finals.  We all remember that the Lakers made the Finals in 2004 largely because of the Derek Fisher 0.4 shot over My Man Manu in Game Five of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.  What we try not to remember is the final score of that game: 74-73.  Looking at that score raises the question: Did teams only play three quarters in those days?

The rivalry continued to be great through about 2013, when it essentially went away. In November of 2019, I wrote the following:

But after the 2nd seed Spurs swept the 7th seed Lakers in the first round of the playoffs in 2013, the Lakers went off a cliff. Over the next six seasons, the Lakers finished in 14th, 14th, 15th, 14th, 11th and 10th place in the West. I knew the Lakers had put together a string of bad seasons, but looking back at that string of disastrous years is stunning. Put simply, the Lakers stunk — while the Spurs continued to excel, going 2nd, 1st, 6th, 2nd, 2nd, 7th and 7th. The first five of those years saw another Spurs’ championship and strong contender status each year until the last two.

The lack of a present rivalry grew out of the Lakers’ ineptitude for a lengthy period of time. Put simply, the Lakers were no longer a worthy rival, and thus killed the rivalry. And while the Lakers are back in the driver’s seat this season, the allure of a Lakers — Spurs game has died.

Four months after that article, the pandemic shut down the NBA.  Soon thereafter, the Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, won the 2020 Bubble Championship. And in the following years, the Spurs became the bad team in the faded rivalry. Thankfully, they turned their bad fortune into gold, striking lottery gold in three consecutive seasons by getting Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.  Time will tell whether those three will eventually be seen as the three best back-to-back-to-back draft picks in NBA history.  Of course, the present Spurs squad also carries on the organization’s tradition of having scrap heap/end of the draft guys playing crucial roles: DannyGreen!!, Patty Mills, Boris Diaw (all cut by other teams) and Manu Ginobili (2^nd round) from the Beautiful Game Spurs, and Julian Champagnie (undrafted), Luke Kornet (undrafted) and Keldon Johnson (29^th pick) on this year’s team.

Thanks to my friends Ken and Kim, I had four tickets to Tuesday’s game at Staples/Crypto Arena.  I attended with three fellow hoops enthusiasts, though I was the only Spurs fan in the foursome.  Two of the others are Laker fans, while the third is a lost Knicks fan, a long way from home.  The Knicks fan is also a Jets fan, so we tried to steer our conversation far away from any mention of football.  That is what friends do for each other. And with the Lakers totally chickening out and sitting their three best players, our Jets fan probably felt right at home with one team much better than the other. 

Who else believes that the Lakers would not have sat their best players for a Spurs game back when this was the best rivalry in the league?  Kobe, Shaq, Gasol, Horry, Fox, Odom, and D Fish would not have missed a Spurs game, just as the Big Three and their teammates would not have missed a chance to compete with the Lakers.  Times have changed.

Once we heard how many Lakers were skipping the game, Knick Fan Marc texted me, “Still want to go?”  I don’t know if he was serious or not – but I was clearly going to this game.  The other three also attended.  Looking up at the sell-out crowd, no one else bailed, either.  And all of us who attended got to see something that we may never see again.

Our four seats were essentially baseline extended at the Spurs end of the court, opposite the Spurs bench, so we had the perfect view to see Victor go 8 for 9 from the floor in those first 8 minutes minus one second.  (The picture below of Victor’s free throw shows our view.)  If anyone at the game is ever asked about incredible things we have witnessed in person, we will have those 8 minutes from Spurs at Lakers on February 10, 2026.

Other thoughts

Whenever I report on these games in Los Angeles, I keep an eye out for the number of Spurs jerseys in the stands.  “Back in the day”, when the rivalry was hot, there were always a good percentage of Spurs fans.  During the dark years beginning in 2020, that percentage went way down.  With the Spurs riding the wave with their great young talent, I hoped Spurs fans would turn out in force for this game.  And the LA-area Spurs fans turned out.  I sat next to Spurs fan Steve in his Victor jersey.  Steve is not from Texas but became a fan when the Great Duncan joined the team, and he remains one today.  Two rows in front of me, and one row behind me, were guys with #5 Castle jerseys.  In line behind us before the game was a #10 DeRozan and a #20 Ginobili.  And I need to get my wife this blanket/serape/jacket for cold (LA defined) winter nights.

Also a shout out to the Laker fans who stayed until the end – and that was most of them.  I suppose spending all that money to see the Lakers, even though the best of them chose not to play, encourages people to try to get their money’s worth.  And they got to see Bronny James actually play fairly well in the fourth quarter.  The biggest cheer of the night came when Bronny made a step back three over Kelly Olynyk in the fourth quarter, cutting the Spurs’ lead to a zillion.

We also got to witness a Gonzaga vs. Gonzaga match-up in the fourth quarter.  Olynyk vs Drew Timme.  Not quite Wilt vs. Russell, but it was still fun. Timme outscored Olynyk 14-8, but Olynyk’s team won.  Hmm, somewhat like the old Wilt vs. Russell games, right?

The Chicago Bulls will be looking to break a five-game losing streak as they visit the surging Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Boston is the slowest team in the NBA and has been hitting the Under with regularity, and I’m backing that trend to continue in my Bulls vs. Celtics predictions below.

Read on for the full analysis of tonight’s game as I break down my free NBA picks for Wednesday, February 11.

Bulls vs Celtics prediction

Bulls vs Celtics best bet: Under 225 (-110)

The Boston Celtics play at the slowest pace in the NBA, averaging 98.1 possessions per game. That shows in their overall total numbers, with the Under holding a massive 34-19 advantage in Boston’s games this season.

There’s no sign that this trend is changing. The Celtics have now hit the Under in nine straight games, and not a single one of those contests has come in Over tonight’s total of 225 points.

Boston and the Chicago Bulls have played twice this year, and have hit the Under in each of those games. Tonight will be more of the same.

Bulls vs Celtics same-game parlay

Chicago will likely play without Josh Giddey or Tre Jones tonight, leaving them shorthanded against a much better Celtics team. 

I like Boston to cover even with this big spread, and I’m also taking Payton Pritchard to hit his scoring total, as he’s scored 24+ points in three of his last four games.

Bulls vs Celtics SGP

• Under 225
• Celtics -13.5
• Payton Pritchard Over 17.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: All about Vucevic

Nikola Vucevic got 23 minutes and put up 13 shots – including six from deep – on Sunday in just his second game in Boston.

My longshot SGP is looking for the former Bulls center to get even more run in a revenge game against his former team, with three targets that the big man has hit plenty of times each this season.

Bulls vs Celtics SGP

• Nikola Vucevic double-double
• Nikola Vucevic Over 1.5 made threes
• Nikola Vucevic Over 1.5 steals + blocks

Bulls vs Celtics odds

• Spread: Chicago +14 (-110) | Boston -14 (-110)
• Moneyline: Chicago +500 | Boston -700
• Over/Under: Over 225 (-110) | Under 225 (-110)

Bulls vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Under is 9-0 in Boston’s last nine games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Bulls vs. Celtics.

How to watch Bulls vs Celtics

Bulls vs Celtics latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here