The NBA does not beat around the bush when it comes to dealing with unsportsmanlike behavior that occurs, with increasing frequency, in some games. They do not hesitate to apply sanctions and they have not done so this time after the massive brawl that took place four days ago in the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Detroit Pistons Isaiah Stewart put fan in a chokehold as chaos erupted after a heated play
The fight broke out with 8:36 left in the first half. Stewart had received a technical foul moments earlier for hitting DiVincenzo hard. Then, Holland was fouled for taking 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 several coaches and trainers joined the fray, with some players falling over spectators sitting in the front row.
12 technical fouls, NBA record since 2005
As the players were separated, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni shouted at each other and had to be separated by team staff. Bickerstaff and Prigioni were among those ejected in a game that ended with 12 technicals, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, according to Opta Stats.
Obviously, things got out of hand
The sanctions were swift. Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart received the harshest punishment: a two-game suspension “for his repeated history of unsportsmanlike conduct,” explained NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars. Meanwhile, Detroit teammates Marcus Sasser and Ron Holland II received one game each. Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves also received one-game suspensions.
Prigioni, Wolves assistant, and Bickerstaff, Pistons coach, escaped punishment despite being ejected. The latter already admitted after the brawl that things had got out of hand. “Obviously, things got out of hand,” he admitted. “But what you see is that the guys take care of each other, they try to protect each other, they support each other… That’s non-negotiable in our locker room,” he said, trying to downplay the matter.
