Watch: Hornets No. 2 pick Brandon Miller and Isaiah Stewart spark the fires for team-wide scuffle
Charlotte Hornets' Brandon Miller has been given a baptism by fire in the NBA courtesy of Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart. Both players have been going back and forth which triggered both teams to have a scuffle later in the game.
These are teams that were residing at the bottom of the standings in the NBA Eastern Conference last season and both wanted to prove themselves early this year.
In the second half, the Detroit Pistons were sitting on a comfortable lead and Isaiah Stewart was seen jawing Brandon Miller:
Right after the war of words, the Alabama Crimson Tide standout got back at "Beef Stew" with a thunderous Statue of Liberty dunk on the offensive end:
The trash-talking kept going in the game and other teammates got involved. Jalen Duren and P.J. Washington also had a bit of a shoving match right after separating Stewart and Miller. After the referee's review, four technical fouls were handed out with one each for the players involved.
As the Pistons' lead grew and the game was decided, Washington gave Stewart a hard foul resulting in a flagrant 2 and an automatic ejection. Fortunately, there was no further action from the physical play that could have led to further sanctions:
Brandon Miller impresses with 17 points off the bench against the Pistons in loss
Out to prove himself, Brandon Miller came off the bench logging in 33 minutes, and he made the most out of it. The No. 2 draft pick was able to finish the game with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, two threes, one steal and a block. However, the Hornets suffered their first loss of the season after a good win against the Atlanta Hawks on opening night.
The Detroit Pistons showed signs of maturity under new coach Monty Williams as they led the game since the first quarter with the final score settling at 111-99.
Alec Burks led the Pistons with 24 points coming off the bench while Jaden Ivey was not far behind providing 18 points in 23 minutes. Isaiah Stewart tallied 15 points, seven rebounds and a block while Jalen Duren controlled the paint with 14 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.
Cade Cunningham struggled with foul trouble limiting him to 12 points, six assists, and two rebounds.
For the Hornets, LaMelo Ball flirted with a triple-double of 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while Terry Rozier caught fire late in the second half scoring eight points in 1:32 minutes but fell short of bringing back the team. The former Boston Celtics guard ended with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting.
The Charlotte Hornets will have a chance to bounce back as they host the Brooklyn Nets in the next game on October 30. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons are on back-to-back games hoping to replicate their result as they host the Chicago Bulls next at the Little Caesars Arena.