WATCH: Brawl erupts during Mavs vs. Pistons game as PJ Washington and Jalen Duren get into scuffle

The Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons matched up in the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, tonight.

WATCH: Brawl erupts during Mavs vs. Pistons game as PJ Washington and Jalen Duren get into scuffle

Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington and Detroit Pistons Jalen Duren get into a shoving match after Duren fouled Daniel Gafford hard

The Dallas Mavericks went into Detroit, Michigan, with only one goal to win the game. They had to move up the playoff ladder. 

The Detroit Pistons wanted to try and use the Mavericks’ recent poor run to win their 11th game of the season. Naturally, both sides would be competitive, and that spilled over late in the game. The Pistons’ Jalen Duren and the Mavericks’ PJ Washington got into a shoving match, leading to Duren’s ejection after the scuffle. 

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With 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, trade deadline acquisition Daniel Gafford caught a tipped pass and launched to finish at the rim. Only for Duren to mistime his jump a fraction earlier. He came down with his hand on the Mavericks’ big man, causing him to lose his balance. 

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As Gafford tumbled to the floor, Duren gave him a subtle push to send him crashing into the post. PJ Washington came over to check on Gafford and slightly nudged Duren, who then responded with a shove at Washington. The now-enraged Washington shoved Duren with all his might.

With all 10 players trying to stop the scuffle from blowing up, the referees also joined in. Jalen Duren was given a personal foul and two technicals, leading to his ejection. Washington was hit with one technical foul.

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Duren had been playing well up until that point. As the lead center for the Pistons, his interior defense was crucial, at least in the first half. 

However, that play seemingly brought the end to the scrappy second half. Earlier, Tim Hardaway Jr. was hit in the head by Pistons bench warmer Stanley Umude, drawing a flagrant foul. The Pistons were trying their best to mentally destabilize the Mavericks in hopes of trying to get a win. 

Did the Detroit Pistons manage to upset the Dallas Mavericks?

Even though the Detroit Pistons tried to unsettle the Dallas Mavericks, the MVP-level performance of Luka Doncic was too much to take.

Doncic finished with 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Mavericks to an impressive 142-124 victory. Double-digit performances from four of his teammates helped to secure the win. 

The Detroit Pistons also had 5 players in double digits with Cade Cunningham coming close to triple-double. But it was the difference in bench production that propelled the Mavericks to their second straight victory.

The Mavericks needed all-around production to win after losing five of their previous six games against Eastern Conference teams. Maybe Jalen Duren’s scuffle with PJ Washington was a result of the frustrations of the Detroit Pistons players. His ejection shows that it was unnecessary, given that the Mavericks were the better team. 

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