CORRECTS TO PISTONS FORWARD RONALD HOLLAND II NOT CENTER JALEN DUREN – Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II, center left, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, center right, fight during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
It wasn’t the Malice in the Palace.
But a dust-up between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday quickly escalated and spilled into the stands, resulting in the ejection of seven players and coaches.
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The incident took place with 8:36 left in the second quarter after Detroit’s Ron Holland fouled Minnesota’s Naz Reid as Reid attempted a layup. Reid immediately had words for Holland after the foul and pointed toward his face.
Reid’s teammate Donte Divincenzo was nearby and stepped in between the two as they approached each other. Divincenzo then put his hands on Holland’s torso, and the two traded hard shoves.
Holland continue to stare down Reid before Divincenzo grabbed Holland by his shoulders and wrestled him toward the ground. From there, it was on.
Multiple players and coaches from both teams joined in the melee that spilled into the baseline stands behind the Pistons basket. Some got involved. Others, like Rudy Gobert, tried to pull players off the pile.
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Divincenzo ended up back down into the second row of the stands with Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart on top of him. Fans in the immediate area held out their arms to brace themselves from the melee.
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, of course, were also ejected. As was Pistons guard Marcus Sasser.