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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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The NBA has issued multiple suspensions after the massive brawl between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons.
ESPN's Shams Charania shared that five players have been suspended, including Timberwolves' Donte DiVincenzo, Timberwolves' Naz Redi, Pistons' Isaiah Stewart, Pistons' Ron Holland, and Pistons' Marcus Sasser.
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The brawl occurred on Sunday at the Target Center in the second quarter of the match.
Stewart is the only player to receive a multi-game suspension.
The Timberwolves will be without DiVincenzo and Reid for their matchup on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets.
Each of those five players and two coaches were ejected from the game. The two coaches who were ejected were Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Minnesota's assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.
The altercation unfolded early in the second quarter, with 8:36 remaining and the Pistons leading 39-30. Prior to the incident, Stewart had already been assessed a technical foul. Tensions escalated when he delivered a hard bump to DiVincenzo after the whistle. Moments later, Holland was called for a foul after swiping the ball out of Reid's hands near the baseline.
The situation quickly intensified as the two exchanged words. DiVincenzo then stepped in, grabbing Holland's jersey, which led to a larger confrontation. Within moments, all 10 players on the court, along with multiple coaches and trainers, were involved in the scuffle.
As the players were being pulled apart, Bickerstaff and Prigioni exchanged heated words, escalating the tension. Team personnel had to step in to separate the two coaches before the situation intensified further.
Bickerstaff touched on the brawl after the contest.
"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."
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch touched on the game and how it was physical prior to the altercation.
"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."
According to OptaSTATS, the game saw a total of 12 technical fouls—the highest recorded in an NBA matchup since March 23, 2005.
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