Isaiah Stewart of Detroit was suspended by two games and four other Panistons and Minnesota Timberwolves players generated suspensions of a game for their roles in an altercation on the court between the teams earlier this week, the NBA said Tuesday.
Stewart obtained two games “based in part in its repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” said the League.
The NBA delivered the prohibitions of a game to Ron Holland II of Detroit and Marcus Sasser along with Naz Reid de Minnesota and Donte Divinnzo. The five players were expelled from Sunday’s game, as did the Detroit coach JB BickerStaff and the Minnesota Pablo Prigioni assistant.
“Obviously, things went too far,” said BickerStaff after that game. “But what you see is that the boys take care of each other, boys who try to protect each other, boys who try to have their backs … Those are non -negotiatable in our costumes.”
The incident began when Holland committed a lack of Reid with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter of the 123-104 victory of the Timberwolves over the Panistons in Minneapolis. Reid faced Holland, who then pushed Divinzzo, who then pushed Holland, and ended up falling into spectators sitting along the baseline.
Stewart and Sasser then entered the altercation, “which resulted in a continuous climbing of the situation,” said the league.
Reid and Divinnzo will serve their suspensions of a game on Tuesday when the Timberwolves visit Denver. Stewart will begin to fulfill their suspension on Wednesday when the Pistons visit Oklahoma City, and Holland and Sasser will also fulfill their suspensions in that game.
