Chris Finch reveals why Timberwolves-Pistons altercation was no surprise

03/31/2025 08:07 AM

MINNEAPOLIS — What began as a normal Sunday night game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons quickly turned into a chaotic brawl. Early in the second quarter emotions took control, leading to seven ejections, including players from both teams and two coaches, after a heated altercation.

“Two guys went at it and spilled over into the crowd, which is dangerous,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said postgame. “Just kept escalating and escalating, mostly from their side… I thought leading up to that, the game was way too physical. it was bound to happen.”

The Pistons, known league-wide for their physical brand of basketball, especially from Isaiah Stewart, brought their trademark intensity from the opening tip. Fans expecting a typical NBA game were instead met with a chaotic brawl that would redefine the evening's narrative.

“I’ve been in enough basketball games to kind of feel this coming,” Finch added.

The confrontation began with frustrations boiling over between Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Stewart amid increasing physicality. Tensions then escalated as Pistons rookie Ron Holland and Naz Reid exchanged words. Reid, visibly agitated, pointed angrily at Holland, who continued talking back, neither willing to step down.

DiVincenzo, backing up Reid and growing increasingly frustrated with the Pistons' physicality, shoved Holland, triggering a brawl that cleared the benches and lasted about 30 seconds.

This angle of the Timberwolves-Pistons brawl is WILD

Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart, and Marcus Sasser were ejected.

Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff and Wolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were tossed as well.

(via @MayaAflakpi) pic.twitter.com/Cr4iGUEQvP

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 31, 2025

When the officials finally restored order, the damage was done. Reid and DiVincenzo of the Timberwolves, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni, were ejected. For the Pistons, Holland, Marcus Sasser, Isaiah Stewart, and head coach JB Bickerstaff were also sent to the locker rooms.

Finch expressed confusion over Prigioni's ejection, explaining that from his understanding, his assistant coach had been trying to talk to a referee about a Pistons player “who is prone to this situation.” He noted, “Then JB had an issue with it, they exchanged words, and it just kept escalating. I didn’t see anything worthy of an ejection that Pablo did.”

Despite the chaos, the Wolves used the moment as a rallying point. “It was a pressure release,” Finch said, adding that it ultimately re-energized his group, especially given how physical the game had been. “It’s unfortunate, but both teams settled down and tried to play basketball after that,” Finch expressed.

Anthony Edwards gave his thoughts on the incident when asked about possible suspensions for the ejected players.

“I don’t think they should miss games for that,” Edwards said. “Maybe just some money.”

Mike Conley eased the tense moment with a joke, saying, “I plead the fifth,” when asked about the fight, before explaining how he helped break up the scuffle.

“At that point, I was just trying to grab guys off them,” Conley explained. “It was like one of them football piles and you don’t know what’s going on.”

Conley, a calming presence and leader on and off the court for Minnesota, emphasized that while unfortunate, such confrontations are part of the competitive nature of the sport.

“It’s part of the game,” Conley said. “It’s an emotional part, it happens, and I’m happy with the way we responded.”

As the NBA office reviews the footage and considers fines and suspensions, one thing is clear: what began as a physical game quickly spiraled into chaos. While the Timberwolves secured the win, the incident itself will likely remain one of the wildest moments of the season, leaving a lasting impression on both teams moving forward.

The post Chris Finch reveals why Timberwolves-Pistons altercation was no surprise appeared first on ClutchPoints.