Pistons head coach J.B. Bickertstaff and three Detroit players were ejected from Sunday night's game against the Timberwolves after a fight under the basket between rookie Ron Holland and Minnesota guard Donte DiVincenzo spilled into the stands.
Players on both sides had been running hot before emotions boiled over. First, Holland and DiVincenzo crashed into each other when DiVincenzo blocked Holland at the rim. On Detroit's next possession, Stewart missed a couple shots while DiVincenzo shouted in his direction; DiVincenzo then barreled into Simone Fontecchio in transition on the other end and was called for a charge. Stewart responded by shoving Minnesota center Rudy Gobert, for which he was issued a technical.
That set the stage for what happened next. Holland fouled Reid on a drive to the basket, and Reid objected by pointing his finger in Holland's face and scolding him. DiVincenzo stepped in between them, then shoved Holland in the chest. When Holland shoved him back, DiVincenzo grabbed Holland up high and laid his forearm into Holland's throat. That prompted a wrestling match between the two that spilled into the front row of the crowd beneath the basket. Stewart and Marcus Sasser were dragged into the fray.
When the dust settled, Holland, Stewart and Sasser were tossed along with Bickerstaff for the Pistons, while DiVincenzo, Naz Reid and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were ejected for the T-Wolves. Bickerstaff and Prigioni got into it on the court while coaches from both teams were trying to break things up.
"Obviously, things went too far," Bickerstaff told reporters after the game. "I think the initial part of it, you go back and watch the film and see where it started, and then obviously things escalated from there. But what you see is, guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other's back, and that's that."
As for his own ejection, Bickerstaff said that Prigioni said things to some of the Pistons players during the fracas that Bickerstaff couldn't abide.
"I'm in the same boat as my guys are in. We’re going to defend each other, and I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys. It’s that simple. He says what he says — he knows what he said. Again, I didn’t think it crossed the line to escalation of anything, but 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," Bickerstaff said.
For the Pistons, who were already playing without starters Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris due to injuries, the losses were too much to overcome. They led 39-29 at the time of the brawl, which occurred with 8:36 left in the second quarter, and had led by as many as 16 in the first quarter, but wound up getting outscored by 25 points in the second half in a 123-104 defeat.
"Obviously, you’re frustrated," Bickerstaff said. "The game didn’t go the way that we hoped it would have gone. That instance is one of those things where, when you play the way that we play, you earn a reputation. You’re going to be tested, and guys think that’s what they have to do (against us).
"You regret, obviously, where all of it took place. That’s not something you ever want to see happen. But again, I thought our guys stood their ground and defended each other, had each other’s back and those are non-negotiables in our locker room."
Both teams entered the game with records of 42-32. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Pistons, who had also won five of their last six.