Pistons
A brawl between the Pistons and Timberwolves on Sunday night led to the ejection of five players, but the tensions didn’t stop there.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were also dismissed from the game following a heated verbal exchange.
According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Hunter Patterson, the altercation between the two coaches stemmed from remarks made by Prigioni about Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, one of the players ejected during the incident. Tensions between Stewart and Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo had escalated just before the altercation spilled into the stands.
Bickerstaff, speaking after the game, made it clear he was defending his players.
“There were things said by their assistant coach, and I’m in the same boat our guys are in,” Bickerstaff told reporters. “We’re going to defend each other. I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys. It’s that simple. He said what he said, he knows what he said.”
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch shed some light on the sequence of events, stating that Prigioni had been attempting to discuss a situation involving Stewart with the referee.
“From my understanding, he was trying to have a conversation with the referee about one of their players who’s kind of prone to these situations,” Finch said. “And then their bench, J.B. in particular, had an issue with it, and they exchanged words.”
Cavaliers
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson expressed frustration with his team’s recent complacency before Sunday’s game against the Clippers, and the message appeared to resonate.
Without a doubt, Atkinson’s fiery remarks helped ignite the Cavaliers, who went on to secure a 127-122 victory.
“There was a very [explicit] message with a lot of choice words from Kenny that got us fired up,” said center Jarrett Allen.
Atkinson acknowledged the need for a strong performance, saying, “We needed to, maybe for psychological reasons, get this game and get it in a good manner.”
The Cavs’ response was a much-needed win after a challenging stretch.
Bucks
The Bucks suffered a lopsided defeat to the Hawks on Sunday, surrendering 82 points in the first half and ultimately allowing 145 points in the loss. A recurring defensive issue was on full display, as the Bucks struggled to contain the Hawks’ dribble penetration.
“They had a simple game plan,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “Spread the floor, catch it, and just put your head down and force a drive. And we just could not keep the ball in front of us.”
Rivers, who criticized his team’s defensive performance, questioned whether the problem stemmed from scheme or individual ability.
“Is that scheme? Is that ability? I gotta watch (the film),” he said. “I never fall on the old coaching adage, ‘We didn’t play hard,’ because I don’t believe that. But we didn’t play well defensively, and we got beat off the dribble a lot. And that’s not good for us.”
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