Seven ejected after Pistons and Timberwolves brawl
The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves are both fighting for playoff positioning down the stretch. On Sunday, the two teams fought against each other.
MINNEAPOLIS — Five players and two coaches were ejected after a fight broke out in the second quarter in the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ game against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Dante DiVincenzo also were tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.
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.
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 fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.
While he wasn’t involved in the initial altercation, it was the third time that Stewart was ejected this season. The big man was also sent off for pulling down Giannis Antetokounmpo by his jersey against the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 13 and for shoving Thomas Bryant against the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 29.
The Pistons have gained a reputation as a physical team this season, drawing comparisons to their “Bad Boy Pistons” moniker of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Stewart was also famously ejected and suspended for two games for a heated physical altercation with LeBron James in 2021.
With files from Sportsnet Staff.
