The NBA has flexed their muscles and put the hammer down. They announced on Tuesday that five players have been punished and suspended as a result of Sunday’s brawl between two teams on the rise, the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.
NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has suspended Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart for two games, while Detroit rookie forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser will sit for one game, and the same can be said for Timberwolves center-forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo.
Stewart’s lengthy NBA rap sheet played a substantial role in why he was given an additional game.
Reid and DiVincenzo will miss Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Holland II, Sasser and Stewart will begin their individual suspensions on Wednesday.
The dust up took place with 8:36 left in the second quarter after Holland fouled Reid as Reid gathered to attempt a layup. Reid took exception to the foul and immediately had words for Holland and pointed his finger toward his face.
DiVincenzo was not far away and stepped in between the two as they sized up and approached each other. DiVincenzo then put his hands on Holland’s torso, and the two exchanged 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 and everything went haywire.
Multiple players and coaches from both teams joined in the skirmish that went over into the baseline stands behind the Pistons’ basket. Some got involved. Others, like Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, tried to pull players apart and off the pile.
DiVincenzo ended up back down into the second row of the stands with Stewart on top of him. Fans in the immediate area held out their arms to brace themselves and even a child was not spared from the action.
Cooler heads eventually prevailed, and 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 were also tossed, as was Sasser.
Bickerstaff called out Prigioni after the game, though it is unclear what Pirigioni said that raised his temperature.
“We’re going to defend each other,” Bickerstaff said. “I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys, and it’s that simple. … In that moment, I understand the ref’s position. But you just can’t say anything to people or about people and expect it to be OK.”
Detroit held a 10-point advantage, 39-29, when the fight broke out. Both teams had to pay an immediate price. 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 blowout 123-104 win.
The Pistons were assessed four technical fouls. The Timberwolves were issued three. That tally resulted in one technical free throw for the Timberwolves, which 18-year veteran Mike Conley swished. Seldom-used big man Luka Garza brushed off the cobwebs and 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.
