In an already physical game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons, tempers and emotions flared and eventually boiled over during a Sunday night matchup in Detroit.
With 8:36 remaining in the second quarter, Wolves forward Naz Reid was fouled by the Pistons’ Ron Holland while driving to the basket. After the whistle, Holland waved his finger in Reid’s face, and Reid turned around and pointed a finger back at Holland, sparking a verbal altercation between the two. That evolved into a pushing match between the Wolves’ Donte DiVincenzo and Holland. As DiVincenzo and Holland grabbed each other — releasing coaches from both benches — the altercation eventually turned into a brawl that spilled into the front row underneath the Wolves’ basket.
Minnesota’s DiVincenzo and Reid were ejected, as were Detroit’s Holland, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser. Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Wolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were also ejected.
A fight breaks out in Minnesota between the Timberwolves and Pistons:
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“There were things said by their assistant coach and I’m in the same boat as my guys are in — we’re going to defend ourselves,” Bickerstaff said after the loss. “And I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys … He (Prigioni) said what he said, and I don’t think it crossed the line of escalation of anything but in that moment I understand the refs’ position but you just can’t say anything to people or about people and expect it to be okay.”
Brawl stemmed from a build-up earlier in game
There are scuffles in games, and then there are fights. This was a fight. It started earlier in the quarter with DiVincenzo and Stewart exchanging some heated trash talk.
What followed was one of the more extensive tussles I’ve seen in a long time. The biggest sign that this was more than just your average disagreement? Prigioni, a genial, easygoing personality, got into it with Bickerstaff and needed to be held back from it turning physical. It is unclear what was said that set the two of them off, but they were both enraged.
After the fracas was calmed down, it became clear that a young fan seated in the front row on the baseline was shaken up during the incident. Wolves coach Chris Finch came to check on the boy, and then owner Alex Rodriguez came to check on him, patting the boy on the head and to make sure he was OK.
The boy remained in his seat and did not need medical attention. — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves beat writer
(Photo: Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)
