Friday night's "battle" between Eastern Conference heavyweights the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons took an ugly turn late in the game when a brawl between players spilled into the stands, resulting in the officials calling the final 45.9 seconds of the game off.

Pacers forward Ron Artest and guard Stephen Jackson charged into the stands and fought with fans after fans began throwing things at players near the scorers table.

Tempers flared after Pistons forward Ben Wallace was fouled by Artest while driving to the basket.  Wallace reacted to the foul, which didn't appear to be flagarant, by placing his hands on Artest's neck and pushing the defensive player of the year away before continuing to make strides in Artest's direction.  Artest backed off and later stood behind the group of players who shoved near the scorers table, with ESPN reporting punches were thrown during the incident.

During the altercation Artest, with a strong reputation of having a short fuse, stayed out of the action as he sprawled out on his back lying on the scorers table.  Just as it appeared tempers had died down Artest was struck by a full cup thrown from the stands.  He jumped up and charged into the stands, throwing punches as he climbed over seats.

Fans were punching back, and Jackson and another teammate joined Artest in the melee.

As the crowd roared, drinks and debris showered the court and the Pacers players covered their heads as they hustled through the runway leading to the locker room.

A man in a Pistons jersey approached Artest on the court with fists raised, shouting at him. Artest punched him in the face, knocking the man to the floor before leaving the court. Artest was pulled away, and the fan charged back. O'Neal stepped in and punched the man.

"I felt like I was fighting for my life out there," Pacers
coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'm sorry the game had to end this way."

"The NBA is withholding comment until it can review the
incident," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.