Five players and two coaches have been ejected after a fight in the second quarter in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ NBA victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit lost head coach JB Bickerstaff, centre Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid, guard Donte DiVincenzo and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were also tossed during the match on Monday morning, AEDT.
“Obviously things went too far,” Bickerstaff said.
“But what you see is guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other’s backs … Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”
The skirmish began with 8:36 left in the half, with the Pistons up 39-30. Stewart had received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid’s hands near the baseline.
The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland’s jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were part of the scrum.
As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.
The whole scene played out just 6 metres from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who walked over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a young fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.
The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, according to OptaSTATS.
“I thought leading up to that the game was way too physical,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said.
“It’s unfortunate, but we knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you, all the stuff that you want your physical teams to do. But I just thought it got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands. You don’t ever want that.”
The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104.
Daniels steals Hawks record in NBA win over Bucks
Australia’s record-setting Dyson Daniels has become Atlanta’s single-season steals leader, adding another five to his name in a 145-124 NBA win over Milwaukee.
Atlanta Hawks player Dyson Daniels (centre) has set the new team record for the most steals in an NBA season. (AP: Aaron Gash)
The “Great Barrier Thief” also contributed 22 points and nine rebounds to play a key role in the Hawks’ victory alongside Zaccharie Risacher, who scored a personal season-high 36 points.
Daniels, originally from Bendigo, increased his NBA-leading total to 213 steals for the season and passed Mookie Blaylock, who had 212 steals three times with the Hawks.
The 22-year-old guard’s tally is the most since Chris Paul amassed 216 in 2008-09.
Daniels remains on track to catch Scottie Pippen’s 232 (1995) and Michael Jordan’s 221 (1993) and finish with the most steals since John Stockton’s 244 in 1992.
AP/AAP
