Things were irregular during Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons, since several players dedicated themselves to a fight that extended in the first row of the target center. When everything was said and done, five players and two coaches were expelled.
The play that began the uproar seemed quite harmless, since the rookie of the Pistons, Ron Holland, tried to take off the ball of the great man of the Timberwolves, Naz Reid, who gathered for a tray with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter. A foul was called, but Reid made an exception to the maneuver and immediately approached Holland as he moved his finger on his face. The guard of the Lobos Donte Divinzzo, who initially seemed to intervene with the intentions of peace, was removed by Holland, which began the most aggressive part of the melee fight.
Divinnzo ran back to Holland and the two players became entangled in a thrust match. When the teammates came to the help of both players, the scrum impulse took to the front row of the reference positions, hitting a cameraman in the process.
After the officials resolved everything, they issued seven total ejections:
Timberwolves
- Reid, Divinzzo and the assistant coach Pablo Prigioni
Pistons
The League office will review the video of the incident and decide whether additional punishment is necessary, but it is important to take into account that it did not seem that no player left the bank, which would result in an automatic suspension and a fine of up to $ 50,000. Nor did it seem to throw any blow or the players were injured, but the NBA Alarm bells generally rise, with a good reason, when any type of altercation spills in the stands and potentially puts fans in danger.
The intensity was probably high during the game, since both teams are wrapped in heated races for playoff positioning. The Pistons try to win the number 4 at the Eastern Conference, which would guarantee the advantage of the domestic court in the first round. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves, who entered Sunday’s game at number 7 in the West, are trying to overcome the game line by winning seed number 6 (or more) during the last two weeks of the regular season.
