Detroit Pistons power forward Isaiah Stewart could be available to play in his team’s game against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday following his altercation on Feb. 14 in Phoenix, when he is said to have punched Suns power forward Drew Eubanks. Stewart was arrested and issued a citation, but a resolution to his legal case is not expected before Thursday’s game and the league’s ongoing review of the situation is not expected to net a suspension by Thursday’s game, league sources tell The Athletic.
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Eubanks played in the game that night while Stewart was already sidelined with an ankle injury and wasn’t scheduled to return until after the All-Star break. He is expected to be healthy enough to play soon, sources briefed on the matter say.
Phoenix Municipal Court set a Feb. 23 court date for Isaiah Stewart on a misdemeanor assault charge, according to police. However, Stewart will not physically have to make the court appearance and will instead be represented by his lawyer, sources tell The Athletic.
Stewart was never physically placed inside a Phoenix jail and flew on the team plane back to Detroit the night of the incident.
League and team sources believe that Stewart could be available for the game against Indiana Thursday due to the NBA likely not issuing any punishment on either side before the legal process plays out.
If Stewart is found guilty of misdemeanor assault, he’ll likely only have to pay a fine worth a couple of hundred dollars and would not serve any jail time, according to Phoenix criminal defense attorney Josh Kolsrud of Kolsrud Law Offices.
According to Eubanks, he and Stewart exchanged words in a parking lot of downtown Phoenix’s Footprint Center Arena, were face-to-face and then Stewart “sucker-punched” him.
Stewart has yet to publicly speak on the situation but his coach, Monty Williams, had this to say following the game: “I know there were statements put out. I want to get all of the information.” Williams added that he talked to Stewart following the incident, and Stewart shared his account of what took place. Williams continued by saying he thought the Suns saying the altercation was “unprovoked” was irresponsible. He believes more information should be gathered before saying something like that.
It is still unclear why Stewart and Eubanks had an altercation in the first place. The big men last played against one another on Nov. 5 back in Detroit, and while it was chippy at times, it didn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary.
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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)