Tempers flared between the Timberwolves and Pistons during their game Sunday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis, which spilled into the crowd as players shoved one another and a camera operator along the baseline got knocked over.
The scene unfolded with a little more than eight minutes left in the first half after Ron Holland fouled Naz Reid as he went up for a layup.
That didn’t sit well with Reid, who aggressively approached Holland before he was shoved by former Knick Donte DiVincenzo.
Holland initially continued to engage with Reid before DiVincenzo seemed to escalate the situation further by grabbing Holland, leading to a shoving match between the two that ended up in the stands.
A camera operator could be seen getting knocked over as the two players engaged with one another and as teammates and coaches rushed to the scene to try and help.
As the brawl spilled into the stands, a photographer who was seated along the baseline had to be helped out of the way.
Fans tried to scurry away as players fell onto the first few rows behind the basket.
Fans could be seen with their hands out, trying to push away the mob of players.
One fan appeared to be shouting “stop” as players got into it right on top of him and fellow fans next to the man.
Another fan, seated a row or two back, could be seen trying to put his hands up to get the group to stop while DiVincenzo had been pushed into a seat that had been occupied by what appeared to be a father and son, who cleared out when the brawl began.
Five players and two coaches in total were ejected from the game related to the brawl.
DiVincenzo, Reid and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni had their nights ended for the T-Wolves, while Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser and head coach J. B. Bickerstaff were ejected for the Pistons.
The Pistons had been leading 39-29 at the time of the brawl and suspensions could be handed down once the league takes a look at the scene that had unfolded.
Tensions had started to ratchet up before the incident, according to the Star Tribune, which included DiVincenzo and Stewart exchanging words earlier in the game.
