The Minnesota Timberwolves are having an incredible season in the NBA. Despite not having a huge consecutive winning streak, they have managed to have a good amount of victories that has them in seventh place in the Western Conference. Against the Detroit Pistons, the Timberwolves managed to get an important victory. However, the intermission they had in the game stole all the limelight. After this, Anthony Edwards decided to give a strong message.
The hard foul on Naz Reid was the cause of the second-quarter incident. Despite the game resulted in an important NBA win for Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards did not hesitate to send a strong message. “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.“ His words reflect the impressive energy carried on the game.
Nevertheless, the incident sparked Anthony Edwards to deliver 20 of his 25 points in the third quarter, showcasing his long-range shooting ability. His impact did not stop there as he also added 6 rebounds and 4 assists, further highlighting his all-around contribution.
Despite Edwards’ impressive performance, Julius Randle stood out as the Timberwolves’ top performer. He finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, leading the team’s offense alongside Anthony.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch makes surprising reveal about in-game incident
For many, this incident came as a total surprise because it was also in the second quarter. However, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch made a surprising revelation: “I’ve been in enough basketball games to kind of feel this coming…Two guys went at it and spilled over into the crowd, which is dangerous…Just kept escalating and escalating, mostly from their side…I thought leading up to that, the game was way too physical. it was bound to happen.”
This may have been a subtle criticism of the Detroit Pistons, as J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad is widely known for its physical style of play. However, the Timberwolves did not tolerate the intensity and responded forcefully to the incident. As a result, seven individuals were ejected from the game: Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser, J.B. Bickerstaff, and Pablo Prigioni.
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff addresses controversial incident after game
After being expelled for the incident, J.B. Bickerstaff broke his silence and decided to make some harsh statements: “There were things said by their assistant coach, and I’m in the same boat as my guys are in. We’re going to defend each other. I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys, it’s that simple.”
Nevertheless, he chose not to reveal what the Timberwolves assistant coach said but offered an interesting perspective while analyzing the incident. “I didn’t think it crossed the line to escalation of anything, but in that moment I understand the ref’s position. You can’t just say anything to people or about people and expect it to be ok,” explained Bickerstaff to Hunter Patterson of the Athletic.