Timberwolves, Pistons Players Ejected After Intense Skirmish

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A violent confrontation erupted during the NBA matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons Sunday night, leading to the ejection of five players and two coaches. The fracas occurred with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter, when the Pistons were leading 39-30.

Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ronald Holland II, and guard Marcus Sasser were ejected, alongside Timberwolves forward Naz Reid, guard Donte DiVincenzo, and 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 one another, trying to have each other’s backs. Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”

The altercation began after Stewart received a technical foul for aggressively bumping DiVincenzo after a whistle. Moments later, Holland slapped the ball out of Reid’s hands, sparking a verbal exchange between the players. DiVincenzo intervened, grabbing Holland’s jersey, and chaos quickly ensued as all ten players on the court engaged in a scrum.

While attempting to separate the players, both Bickerstaff and Prigioni were seen yelling at one another and required intervention from team personnel. The incident took place near courtside, where Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez was seated. Rodriguez was later observed attending to a young fan who found themselves caught up in the chaos.

The match saw a record-high 12 technical fouls, marking the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, according to OptaSTATS. “I thought leading up to that, the game was way too physical,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted. “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.”

Despite the chaos, the Timberwolves triumphed with a final score of 123-104. In a lighthearted moment following the altercation, Timberwolves guards took the opportunity to mock Pistons guard Malik Beasley’s signature 3-point celebration.

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards led the team with 25 points, including 20 in the third quarter, while teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 11 points. No further matches between the two teams are scheduled for the remainder of the season.