Sunday night at the Target Center was supposed to be about basketball. The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons faced off in a high-energy game. Minnesota walked away with a 123-104 victory, with Rudy Gobert leading the way with 19 points and Anthony Edwards dropping 25.
However, the night took a heated turn in the second quarter when a fight started, leading to a massive brawl that resulted in seven ejections. Following the game, Edwards delivered an intense verbal assault targeting Pistons team members.
Anthony Edwards’s Direct Jab at the Timberwolves Players
After securing the victory, when asked about the fight, Edwards did not mince words. With his signature confidence, he directed a message straight at the Pistons players.
“If we gonna fight, let’s fight then. They out, we out, it’s time to fight. We can’t throw punches, let throw punches on the court, within the game. That’s how me and Julius took it,” said Edwards during the interview.
Asked Anthony Edwards about he and Julius Randle refocusing the team and the mentality after the fight.
“If we gonna fight, let’s fight then. They out, we out — it’s time to fight. We can’t throw punches, let throw punches on the court.” pic.twitter.com/vvTzvkmbDn
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) March 31, 2025
Of course, Edwards didn’t mean throwing punches literally. He truly meant that he and Julius Randle, who scored 26 points, showed how a game is won with proper execution. But how did the brawl start?
With 8:36 left in the second quarter and the Pistons leading 39-30, tensions were already rising. Just moments before, Isaiah Stewart had been hit with a technical foul for aggressively bumping Donte DiVincenzo after the whistle. The tension escalated further when Detroit’s Ron Holland II slapped the ball out of Naz Reid’s hands near the baseline, leading to a heated exchange of words between the two.
The heated situation caused DiVincenzo to intervene, grabbing Holland’s jersey to break up both players. The whole interaction rapidly deteriorated into a scrum. Most players on the court, along with numerous coaches and trainers, participated in the disorganized incident, which unfolded within seconds.
Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni and Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff got into an intense argument, requiring multiple teammates to restrain both coaches. It was an all-out storm that completely shifted the game’s energy and gave the young fans a short glimpse of what the old “Bad Boy Pistons” looked like.
When the dust settled, the referees had no choice but to issue a wave of ejections. Detroit took a massive hit, losing Holland II, Bickerstaff, center Stewart, and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota also faced setbacks, with Reid and DiVincenzo being tossed alongside assistant coach Prigioni.
A fight breaks out between the Pistons and Timberwolves
Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid, Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser, Pistons HC J. B. Bickerstaff and Wolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were all ejected pic.twitter.com/TJA3OczOxB
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 31, 2025
The Timberwolves walked away with a crucial win, but the fight became the main talking point of the night. Edwards’s postgame remark only added to the drama, clarifying that he and the Timberwolves won’t be backing down from any challenge. However, Pistons weren’t the only thing that Edwards talked about during the interview.
Edwards Had Nothing but Praise for Timberwolves Teammate
While the fight in the second quarter was the real talk of the night, Edwards didn’t shy away from praising one of his teammates.
During the postgame press conference, Edwards was asked about Randle’s performance, and the shooting guard had nothing but good words for him.
“Julie’s been playing great for us for the past two and a half months. He’s been that plug that we needed getting downhill for us, creating shots for everybody, including myself, and playing fast, playing at a pace that we haven’t played at since he’s been before he came back. So it’s been great for us,” added Edwards during the interview.
The statistics back up his words as Edwards delivers 27.2 points per game, and Randle maintains an 18.8 PPG average. The Timberwolves occupy the seventh position in the Western Conference standings with seven matches remaining. A solid performance in the last seven games would likely secure them a spot in the playoffs.