A fight that spilled into the stands marred the Pistons–Timberwolves game on Sunday with five players, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and a Minnesota assistant coach getting ejected.
The altercation occurred with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter. Timberwolves big man Naz Reid was driving to the basket and Pistons rookie forward Ron Holland tried to swipe at the ball. Holland was called for a foul and Reid immediately confronted Holland, pointing his finger at Holland. Minnesota guard Donte DiVincenzo also confronted and pushed Holland, leading to a scrum that spilled into the stands along the baseline.
All the players on the court headed toward the stands and members of both coaching staffs came out to try to separate the competitors. The officiating crew, with assistance from the league’s replay center, chose to eject Holland, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser from the Pistons side and DiVincenzo, Reid and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni from the Timberwolves, along with an incredulous Bickerstaff. Luke Walton took over as Detroit’s coach for the remainder of the contest.
A replay of the fight, posted by House of Highlights on Youtube, can be found here .
Tensions were heightened moments earlier when Stewart and Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert had an angry exchange.
Fines and potential suspensions are likely for both teams, who are battling for playoff position. The Pistons are fifth in the Eastern Conference and looking to move up one spot, which would give them home court advantage in the first round.
Minnesota entered the game tied for seventh place in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves are looking to move up at least one notch and avoid the play-in tournament.