Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch shared his thoughts on the heated altercation that erupted during Sunday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
“Two guys went at it and spilled over into the crowd, which was super dangerous,” Finch said postgame, via Omari Sankofa II. “Obviously it just kept escalating and escalating, mostly from their side, to be honest with you. I thought leading up to that, that the game was way too physical.”
The incident occurred in the second quarter after Pistons players took issue with a foul on Timberwolves big man Naz Reid. A confrontation quickly escalated, resulting in multiple ejections.
Minnesota’s Reid, along with Detroit’s Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II, and Marcus Sasser, were all thrown out. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni were also ejected following a sideline dispute.
Despite the heated moment, Minnesota (42-32) kept its composure and mounted a dominant second-half performance. The Timberwolves erased a 16-point deficit behind strong efforts from Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards.
Randle led the team with 26 points, while Edwards finished with 25, including 18 in the third quarter. The All-Star guard caught fire from deep, drilling four three-pointers in the period as Minnesota took control.
Rudy Gobert was a force inside, recording 19 points and 25 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. His physical presence helped the Timberwolves dominate the boards, outrebounding Detroit 59-44.
Detroit (42-33) struggled to recover after losing key players to ejections. Malik Beasley led the Pistons with 27 points, while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20, but the team shot just 35.8% from the field.
The Timberwolves took advantage of their depth, with Mike Conley contributing 17 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker adding 11 off the bench. Minnesota outscored Detroit 38-23 in the third quarter and never looked back.
Finch acknowledged that the game’s physicality played a role in the incident but emphasized that the situation should not have spiraled out of control.
Minnesota’s defense tightened in the second half, limiting Detroit to just 44 points over the final two quarters. The Timberwolves also capitalized at the free-throw line, hitting 23-of-31 attempts.
With the victory, Minnesota remains in seventh place in the Western Conference standings, keeping pace in the playoff race. Detroit, now fifth in the East, missed a chance to solidify its postseason position.
