After 2nd-quarter fight leads to ejections of 5 players, 2 coaches, Timberwolves beat Pistons 123-104
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Five players and two coaches were ejected after a fight broke out in the second quarter in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo also were 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, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other’s backs. ... Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”
The skirmish began with 8:36 left in the half with the Pistons up 39-30. Stewart had received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid's hands near the baseline.
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The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland’s jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were part of the scrum.
As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.
The whole scene played out just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who walked over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a young fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.
The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, per OptaSTATS.
“I thought leading up to that the game was way too physical,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “It’s unfortunate, but we knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you, all the stuff that you want your physical teams to do. But I just thought it got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands. You don’t ever want that.”
The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104.
Julius Randle had 26 points and eight rebounds and Anthony Edwards added 25 points.
Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 25 rebounds to help Minnesota win for the third time in four games.
Malik Beasley led Detroit with 27 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 20 ,and Dennis Schroder added 11 points and 11 assists.
Detroit had won three straight, all with All-Star guard Cade Cunningham out with a calf injury. However, losing three rotation players in the second-quarter skirmish — Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II and Marcus Sasser — proved to be too taxing on the Pistons' depth.
Minnesota trailed by 16 in the first quarter, but the Wolves remained patient with their attack and eventually wore down the Pistons to pull away.
With 8:40 to play in the third, Edwards hit a 3-pointer to give Minnesota its first lead of the night, 69-67. After a basket by Beasley tied it, Randle hit a 3 to put the Wolves on top 72-69, and they never trailed again.
Minnesota outscored Detroit 38-23 in the third quarter. Edwards had 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers in the period.
The Pistons are at Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. The Timberwolves are at Denver on Tuesday night.