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Seven players and members of coaching staff were ejected after a wild brawl broke out during the Minnesota Timberwolves' clash with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA on Sunday. A testy duel between the two sides at the Target Center in Minneapolis erupted into chaos early in the second quarter when Minnesota's Naz Reid took exception to being bumped by Detroit's Ron Holland as he drove towards the basket.
Reid jabbed a finger angrily at Holland as the two players squared up after the incident. It escalated rapidly, with players from both sides being sucked into the melee that spilled into the spectator seats at courtside. The Wolves' Donte DiVincenzo was in the thick of the uproar and tumbled backwards into the seating as a scrum of players and team officials grappled around him.
The protracted scrap lasted around a minute before tempers cooled and the officiating crew began to determine who was at fault. When it was over, the Timberwolves' Reid and DiVincenzo - who could be seen with what looked like large scratch marks near his neck -- were tossed along with the Pistons' Marcus Sasser, Isaiah Stewart and Holland.
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was also ejected while Minnesota's assistant coach Pablo Prigioni was also tossed. US media reported that a young fan sitting at courtside who had been caught in the chaotic scrum was later presented with a Minnesota team jersey by Alex Rodriguez, the former Major League Baseball star who is now a part-owner of the Timberwolves.
