'Things went too far': NBA whacks five players with bans for involvement in mass brawl
Updated . First published
The NBA has whacked five players with suspensions for their role in a fight during the second quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-104 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Detriot's Isaiah Stewart was hit with the largest ban of the five as his "repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts" landed him with a two-match ban.
Stewarts teammate Ron Holland II and Marcus Sasser along with Minnesota's Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo were whacked with one-match bans.
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All five players were ejected from the match in the second quarter along with Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Minnesota assistant Pablo Prigioni.
“Obviously things went too far,” Bickerstaff conceded post-match.
“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 eight-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter with the Pistons leading 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.
Ronald Holland II of the Detroit Pistons and Donte DiVincenzo of the Minnesota Timberwolves fight. Getty
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 chaotic scrum.
As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel and security.
Fans were among those caught in the mix, the brawl extending to the courtside seats and the whole scene played out just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez.
He was seen walking over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.
Online the fight had fans calling for similar intensity in every game, one user on Reddit saying: "Not wishing harm on anybody but man we need more of this heat and intensity in the league."
