A fight broke out in the second quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, leading to the ejection of five players and two coaches.
Detroit’s head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II, and guard Marcus Sasser were all ejected. From Minnesota, forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo were also tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.
“Obviously, things went too far,” Bickerstaff said. “But what you see is guys looking out for one another, trying to protect each other, and having each other’s backs. Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”
The altercation started with 8:36 left in the half, with the Pistons leading 39-30. Stewart had just received a technical foul after bumping DiVincenzo hard following a whistle. Moments later, Holland was called for a foul after slapping the ball out of Reid’s hands near the baseline.
The two players exchanged words, and DiVincenzo stepped in between them, grabbing Holland’s jersey. Soon, all 10 players on the court, along with several coaches and trainers, were involved in the scuffle.
As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were seen shouting at each other and had to be held back by team personnel.
The incident unfolded just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who approached from his courtside seat afterward and appeared to check on a young fan who had gotten caught in the middle of the chaos.
The game saw a total of 12 technical fouls, marking the highest number in an NBA game since March 23, 2005.
“I thought the game was way too physical leading up to that,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “It’s unfortunate, but we knew they were a really physical team. They hit you, hold you—basically everything you expect from a tough, physical team. But it reached a point where players felt the need to take matters into their own hands. You never want that.”
The Timberwolves made a comeback from an early 16-point deficit to defeat the Pistons 123-104.
