Isaiah Stewart will be suspended for two games, while Ron Holland II, Marcus Sasser, Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo will each serve a one-game suspension, following the melee during the Detroit Pistons- Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
The NBA has handed down suspensions to five players following the intense altercation between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
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Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced that Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart will be suspended for two games.
Detroit forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser, along with Timberwolves center-forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo, will each serve a one-game suspension. Stewart’s prior disciplinary history played a role in his additional game suspension.
Reid and DiVincenzo will miss Tuesday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets, while Stewart, Holland II, and Sasser will begin serving their suspensions on Wednesday.
The altercation erupted with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter after Holland fouled Reid on a layup attempt. Reid exchanged words with Holland and pointed toward his face. DiVincenzo intervened, placing his hands on Holland’s torso, leading to an exchange of forceful shoves. Tensions escalated further when DiVincenzo grabbed Holland’s shoulders, taking him to the ground, setting off an all-out melee.
Players and coaches from both teams rushed into the skirmish, some trying to break up the scuffle, while others engaged in the chaos. Minnesota's Rudy Gobert attempted to de-escalate the situation by pulling players away. Meanwhile, Stewart ended up in the second row of the stands on top of DiVincenzo as fans scrambled to avoid the commotion.
Officials eventually restored order, separating the players and coaching staff involved. The brawl resulted in seven ejections, including Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni, along with Stewart, Holland, Reid, DiVincenzo, and Sasser.
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After the game, Bickerstaff took issue with Prigioni’s conduct, though he did not specify what was said.
“We’re going to defend each other,” Bickerstaff stated. “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.”
At the time of the altercation, Detroit led 39-29. The Pistons lost three players to ejections, while the Timberwolves lost two. From that point forward, Minnesota took full control, outscoring Detroit by 29 points and securing a dominant 123-104 victory.
The officiating crew issued four technical fouls to the Pistons and three to the Timberwolves, leading to a single technical free throw for Minnesota, converted by Mike Conley. Following Reid’s ejection, Luka Garza stepped in and hit two free throws. Despite nearly three quarters remaining in regulation, the Pistons struggled to recover from the fallout, allowing the Timberwolves to capitalize and seal the win.
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