Timberwolves credit melee for sparking rout of Pistons: ‘It gave us a boost of energy’

What began as a sluggish start for the Timberwolves against the visiting Pistons quickly erupted into chaos less than four minutes into the second quarter. What followed turned the game — and the Timberwolves’ energy — on its head.

Basically, they said it actually fueled their 123-104 hammer job on Sunday.

“When something like that happens,” Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert told reporters, “it either makes you or breaks you. It gave us a boost of energy.”

A fight breaks out between the Pistons and Timberwolves

Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid, Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser, Pistons HC J. B. Bickerstaff and Wolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were all ejected pic.twitter.com/TJA3OczOxB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 31, 2025

The crowd at Target Center erupted as players rallied around assistant coach Pablo Prigioni, who was about to be ejected, alongside several other key figures. When the dust settled, Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II, Marcus Sasser, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff were all sent off the court. The Timberwolves’ Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid, and Prigioni also found themselves ejected.

Minnesota coach Chris Finch said he had anticipated the confrontation. Before the altercation, he noticed the game becoming increasingly physical, both in Detroit’s play and in the officiating.

“I thought it was bound to happen,” Finch said.

Bickerstaff, a former Gophers player and former Wolves assistant, acknowledged that the Pistons’ aggressive style often leads to such situations.

You’re going to be tested,” he said. “And guys think that’s what they have to do.”

Following the melee, the Timberwolves (43-32) quickly regained control. Julius Randle (26 points, 8 rebounds) and Gobert (19 points, 25 rebounds) led the charge early, while Mike Conley (17 points, 11 in the second half) and Anthony Edwards (25 points, 20 in the third quarter) took over late. The Wolves found their rhythm offensively and ramped up their defensive intensity.

“I thought we reacted the way we should,” Conley said. “In a sense, it woke us up out of how we were playing at the moment. It gave everybody a little bit of adrenaline. You hate to lose guys in the middle of a game like that. But they turned the game around for us, honestly.”

Edwards, who credited his second-half surge to removing a protective cast from his right hand, summed up the change more simply: “Anytime your teammates, your brothers, get into it with another team, it should always heat you up.”

The Timberwolves, who trailed by 10 points with 8:36 left in the first half, went on to dominate.

The game’s turning point came at the 8:36 mark in the second quarter, when Reid was fouled by Holland. The tension from earlier confrontations — including an exchange between DiVincenzo and Stewart — led to the altercation. As players and coaches collided, the fight spilled into the front row, briefly unsettling fans in the arena.

“I plead the fifth,” Conley said when asked about the specifics of the skirmish.

With multiple players ejected, the fight is expected to result in fines or potential suspensions in the coming days.