Friday night at Little Caesars Arena was already trending toward “all-time weird” status, but things took a sharp turn from technical chaos to sideline drama. While the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers were busy navigating a broken scoreboard and a handheld air horn, a few fans in the front row decided to test Dennis Schröder's patience, and they lost.
The veteran guard, who has been a steadying force for the Cavs since arriving via trade, found himself at the center of a heated exchange during the second half.
While the specific “diss” remains under wraps, it was enough for the officiating crew and arena security to step in. After a brief discussion near the baseline, security escorted a group of fans from their seats. Schröder, never one to back down from a verbal spar, seemed unfazed as he guided the offense through the most bizarre environment of the NBA season.
A fan was ejected from Cavs-Pistons for something he said to Dennis Schroder.pic.twitter.com/gvOOIH0dV7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 28, 2026
Before the ejections and the power surge that broke the arena's buzzer, the game featured some legitimate heavyweight basketball. The Cleveland Cavaliers were forced to lean heavily on their frontcourt with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden both sidelined.
Evan Mobley played massive minutes to keep Cleveland in it, finishing regulation with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Sam Merrill also stepped up in a big way, knocking down critical shots to finish the fourth quarter with 20 points.
On the other side, the Detroit Pistons continued to rely on their young core. Jalen Duren was an absolute force in the paint, racking up 33 points and 16 rebounds. Cade Cunningham almost matched that scoring output, dropping 25 points of his own while dishing out seven assists to keep the Pistons' offense fluid despite the lack of a functioning game clock.
The score sat deadlocked at 114-114 when the “manual” air horn sounded to end the fourth quarter. We are headed to free basketball in Detroit.




















