- Minnesota came back from 16 points down to defeat Detroit 123:104 at home
- The second quarter saw a massive brawl and 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 2005
- Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 26 points, while Rudy Gobert dominated the paint with 19 points and 25 rebounds
Key Takeaways:
The Minnesota Timberwolves erased a 16-point deficit to claim a 123:104 win over the Detroit Pistons in a fiery NBA regular-season clash. The game in Minneapolis will be remembered less for the basketball and more for the chaos in the second quarter, which resulted in 12 technical fouls and seven ejections — the most technicals handed out in an NBA game since March 23, 2005.
Detroit opened strong and jumped to a 15:6 lead early on, stretching the advantage to 34:18 before finishing the first quarter 34:20 ahead. But tensions flared early in the second quarter after Ron Holland committed a hard foul on Naz Reid as the Timberwolves forward drove to the rim for a dunk.
A wild brawl broke out in the Detroit Pistons-Minnesota Timberwolves game, leading to seven total being ejected from the contest. 😲
Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Stewart were some of the players kicked out, with Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff also getting tossed. pic.twitter.com/woNyzDqDOv
— Key To The City 🔑 (@K3yToTheCity) March 31, 2025
The incident escalated quickly. Donte DiVincenzo tried to intervene, only for both benches and coaching staff members to flood the court. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff clashed verbally with Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni — and had to be physically separated. After a lengthy review, officials issued 12 technical fouls and ejected seven individuals.
For Minnesota, DiVincenzo, Reid, and assistant coach Prigioni were sent off. Detroit lost head coach Bickerstaff, Holland, Isaiah Stewart, and Marcus Sasser.
Once the dust settled, the Timberwolves began to chip away at the deficit, trailing just 54:60 at halftime. A key moment came midway through the third quarter when the home side took the lead at 69:67 and closed the quarter up 92:83. A 31:21 fourth quarter sealed the win for Minnesota.
Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Anthony Edwards added 25 points, while Rudy Gobert posted a monster double-double of 19 points and 25 rebounds. Malik Beasley was Detroit’s top scorer with 27 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. followed with 20, and Jalen Duren added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Dennis Schroder also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists.
The win puts Minnesota at 43–32, currently seventh in the Western Conference and just one game behind Golden State for a direct playoff spot. Detroit sits fifth in the East with a 42–33 record.