Nuggets’ Jonas Valanciunas gets flagrant foul after MMA move on Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart

It got physical early as the Denver Nuggets hosted the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, with both teams trying to establish the game’s tempo.

In the first quarter, Isaiah Stewart attacked the paint, but Jonas Valanciunas was there to stop him. As Stewart tried to go up for the lay-in, Valanciunas fouled him and put him in a headlock, earning a flagrant foul for excessive contact.

Jonas Valanciunas Receives Flagrant Foul 1 For Excessive and Unnecessary Contact On Isaiah Stewart #detroitbasketball pic.twitter.com/rQXfm2xW6o

— Downtown Deuce (@DowntownDeuce) February 4, 2026

Stewart, who has a history of being short-tempered, did not retaliate.

“Jonas Valanciunas put Isaiah Stewart in a headlock following a foul, and a little barking ensued. Stewart, believe it or not, walked away while Jalen Duren stepped in,” noted ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.

Valanciunas and Duren were each issued a technical foul for their verbal altercation.

As of writing, the Pistons are comfortably ahead of the Nuggets, 69-50, at halftime.

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