A fiery showdown between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons turned chaotic on Sunday night as a second-quarter brawl led to the ejection of five players and two coaches. Despite the mayhem, Minnesota regrouped to erase a 16-point deficit, securing a 123-104 victory.
Tensions flared with 8:36 left in the half, just moments after Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart received a technical foul for a hard bump on Donte DiVincenzo. A seemingly routine foul by Ron Holland II on Naz Reid escalated quickly, with DiVincenzo stepping in and grabbing Holland’s jersey. What started as a heated exchange erupted into a full-scale confrontation, drawing in all 10 players on the court along with coaches and team staff.
Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Stewart, Holland, and Marcus Sasser in the melee. Minnesota’s Reid and DiVincenzo were also ejected, along with Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni. Even as order was restored, Bickerstaff and Prigioni had to be separated, continuing to exchange words from a distance.
“Obviously things went too far,” Bickerstaff admitted. “But what you see is guys looking out for one another… Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”
The altercation unfolded just feet from Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who was seen calling for assistance after a young fan was caught in the commotion. The game produced 12 technical fouls, the highest in an NBA game since 2005.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch acknowledged the Pistons’ physical style but felt the game had spiraled out of control. “It’s unfortunate, but we knew they were a super physical team,” he said. “I just thought it got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands.”
Despite the chaos, Minnesota regained focus and dominated the second half, storming back to seal an emphatic win.
