Detroit Pistons player Ron Holland (left) and Minnesota Timberwolves teammates Donte DiVincenzo (center) and Naz Reid sparked a brawl on Sunday that spilled into the stands at Minnesota’s Target Center. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
It wasn’t the Malice in the Palace.
But a dust-up between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday quickly escalated and spilled into the stands at Target Center in Minneapolis, resulting in the ejection of seven players and coaches.
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The incident took place with 8:36 left in the second quarter after Detroit’s Ron Holland fouled Minnesota’s Naz Reid as Reid attempted a layup. Reid immediately had words for Holland and pointed toward his face.
Reid’s teammate Donte DiVincenzo was nearby and stepped in between the two as they approached each other. DiVincenzo then put his hands on Holland’s torso, and the two traded hard shoves.
Holland continued to stare down Reid before DiVincenzo grabbed Holland by his shoulders and wrestled him toward the ground. From there, it was on.
Multiple players and coaches from both teams joined in the melee that spilled into the baseline stands behind the Pistons basket. Some got involved. Others, like Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, tried to pull players off the pile.
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DiVincenzo ended up back down into the second row of the stands with Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart on top of him. Fans in the immediate area held out their arms to brace themselves.
Here’s another vantage point from the stands. Be warned, the language is most certainly not safe for work.
Calm was eventually restored as the players and coaches involved were pulled out of the pile. The ruckus resulted in seven ejections, including Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni.
Reid, DiVincenzo, Stewart and Holland, of course, were also ejected. As was Pistons guard Marcus Sasser.
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Detroit held a 39-29 lead when the fight broke out. The Pistons were down three players in the aftermath, and the Timberwolves down two. Minnesota outscored the Pistons from there by 29 points and rallied for a 123-104 win.
The Pistons were issued four technical fouls. The Timberwolves issued three. That tally resulted in one technical free throw for the Timberwolves, that Mike Conley hit. Luka Garza subbed in and hit two free throws for the foul on Reid after Reid was ejected.
The game then carried on with the better part of three quarters left to play.
This certainly isn’t the last of it for the parties involved. Significant suspensions and fines should be expected from the NBA office.
