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Pistons, Magic scuffle triggers three ejections

Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Fists flew and one player appeared to get knocked unconscious during a bench melee, bringing three ejections in the second quarter of the Detroit Pistons' win over the Orlando Magic in Detroit.

The incident occurred about 33 seconds before halftime of the Pistons' 121-101 victory Wednesday at Little Caesar's Arena.

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Magic forward Moritz Wagner ran back to chase down a loose ball at the start of the incident. Pistons guard Killian Hayes then ran in behind Wagner to challenge him for the ball.

Wagner used his right hip to knock Hayes into the bench area, sending the Pistons guard flying into a row of chairs.

Pistons guard Hamidou Diallo then came running and hit Wagner in the back. Hayes followed with a punch to the back of Wagner's head. That hit resulted in the forward collapsing to the ground.

Pistons and Magic players and coaches continued the scuffle until they were separated. Wagner, Hayes and Diallo then were assessed with fouls and ejected.

"All I saw was the bump and from there, it just escalated quickly," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters. "I'll have to go back and look at the film to see what happened."

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Mosley said Wagner was "fine" after the fight.

Wagner scored seven points in the loss. Diallo totaled 11 points and five rebounds. Hayes scored five points in the win.

Pistons guard Alec Burks scored a game-high 32 points off the bench. Forward Saddiq Bey chipped in 28 points off the Pistons bench.

Guard Franz Wagner led the Magic with 19 points.

The Magic (13-23) will host the Washington Wizards (15-21) at 7 p.m. EST Friday in Orlando, Fla. The Pistons (9-28) will face the Chicago Bulls (15-19) at 8 p.m. Friday in Chicago.

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