Charlie Villanueva ejected for flagrant foul vs. Kings

The Pistons are showing some life as of late, but Charlie Villanueva showed perhaps too much vigor in Tuesday night's game against the Kings.

With halftime drawing near, Villanueva rotated over to defend Kings guard Isaiah Thomas on a drive to the basket. But Villanueva delivered a blow to Thomas' upper body, sending the second-year guard to the floor.

Officials assessed Villanueva a Flagrant 2, resulting in his immediate ejection from the game.

What might be most notable about the foul, though, is Thomas' reaction. He immediately gets in Villanueva's face and has to be held back. It was a bold move by Thomas, considering he is more than a foot shorter and nearly 50 pounds lighter than Villanueva. Thomas also was fortunate to avoid a technical for his response.

The Pistons won 103-97.

Villanueva, who finished with 9 points in 11 minutes, could face additional punishment for the foul. Lakers center Dwight Howard was fined $35,000 last Thursday for a Flagrant 2 against Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried.