The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves brought back that old feeling during their latest game. On Sunday (March 30), the two teams faced off in an exhibition match with a lot on the line for the Wolves, who are looking to secure a spot in the NBA playoffs.
Tensions and tempers flared during the game, with several of the players from both squads getting chippy from the moment they tipped off. However, anger spilled over after the Wolves’ Naz Reid was fouled hard by the Pistons’ Ron Holland, which led Naz to begin pointing in Holland’s face.
Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo then engaged in a shoving match with Holland, immediately leading to both teams’ coaches and players storming the court from their respective benches. Chaos ensued, with Donte and Holland becoming wrapped up in fisticuffs with plenty of other players throwing hands and elbows, leading the frenzy into the front row near the Timberwolves’ hoop. DiVincenzo, Reid, Wolves’ assistant coach, Pablo Prigioni, Holland, Marcus Sasser, Isaiah Stewart, and Pistons’ head coach J.B. Bickerstaff were all ejected from the game for their roles in the scuffle.
According to the NBA, the game ended with 12 technical fouls, which was the most since 2005. T-Wolves coach Chris Finch opened up about the matter, saying, “I thought leading up to that the game was way too physical. 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.”
As for suspensions, there haven’t been any punishments handed down from the league over the scuffle just yet. However, Sports Illustrated reported that DiVincenzo, Holland, and other players will most likely face suspension for an undisclosed number of games as a consequence.
Timberwolves’ star Anthony Edwards wasn’t feeling the rumor that players from both teams would be forbidden from playing games for a number of games, opining, “If we gonna fight, let’s fight then. They out, we out—it’s time to fight. We can’t throw punches, let [us] throw punches on the court [but]… I don’t think they should miss games for that—maybe just some money.”
Watch the video of the scuffle above.
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