The NBA suspended five players involved in Sunday’s brawl between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis with a ruling delivered Tuesday.
Pistons forward-center Isaiah Stewart received a two-game suspension without pay, based on “his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” read the press release from NBA head of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
Four others involved in the incident were each suspended one game without pay: forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser of the Pistons, and center-forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo of the Timberwolves.
The Minnesota players will serve their suspensions Tuesday night at Denver. The Detroit players sit Wednesday night at Oklahoma City, with Stewart also missing Friday’s game at Toronto. Stewart previously drew discipline for a run-in with LeBron James in 2021 and was suspended three games for punching Suns forward Drew Eubanks before a game in 2023.
The more recent situation began when Holland fouled Reid with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter. Reid confronted Holland, who pushed DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo then “escalated the incident” by shoving Holland in the chest, the NBA said.
After Holland and DiVincenzo became entangled and fell into the spectator area, Stewart and Sasser entered the fray and shoved DiVincenzo and Reid “in a continued escalation of the situation,” the league said.
All five players received technical fouls and were ejected from the game, which the Timberwolves won, 123-104.
