Isaiah Stewart is never the type of person to back down from any fight. This explains why Stewart was jawing at the New Orleans Pelicans bench after the Memphis Grizzlies suffered their first loss of the season in overtime, 135-134, after Ty Jerome's game-winning attempt at the buzzer fell way short.

After the game, Stewart clarified why he felt the need to go after the Pelicans bench, with coaches having to hold him back to prevent the tension between the two teams from escalating into something much worse.

“You can't talk while you up and then once the game get tight, you know, you start to get a little quiet. And then now, you won the game and you wanna jaw and talk. But whatever, just keep it basketball, just keep it basketball. Game ended, they had words, but at the end of the day, we could have played another basketball game right then and there,” Stewart told reporters, via Matt Infield of Action News 5.

Isaiah Stewart says his issue with the Pelicans after the buzzer stemmed from them talking trash while they were up, stopping when the game got close, and then jawing again after they won.

"I'm not gonna let nobody disrespect Memphis, disrespect our court, win or loss."

⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rQipEpdLi6

— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) November 3, 2026

The Grizzlies looked like they were going to lose in regulation before Jerome rescued them from the death by scoring nine straight points to force overtime. That was when the Pelicans must have realized that they could lose the game realistically, and they shouldn't yet take a victory lap despite their incredible offensive execution for most of the fourth quarter.

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But in the end, the Pelicans won the rebound battle and made two free throws off of an offensive board to win the game in overtime, backing up all the smack they must have talked earlier in the game.

Stewart, for his part, was huge for the Grizzlies. The Pelicans were dicing up Memphis' defense with Zach Edey on the floor, and Stewart was able to contain more of New Orleans' perimeter-based offense.

In 28 minutes against the Pelicans, the man affectionately known as Beef Stew put up 14 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.