Mar 30, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) shoots the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) and guard Mike Conley (10) defend during the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves have talked about needing to bring an edge against every single opponent. They didn’t have one early against the Detroit Pistons Sunday night, but it came after a second-quarter eruption at Target Center.
Naz Reid was fouled driving to the hoop midway through the second frame, Ron Holland II was barking at him before getting into a shoving match with Donte DiVincenzo that quickly turned into a full-blown brawl that resulted in seven ejections between the two sides. The Wolves were trailing by 10 points at the time, cut it down to six points at the half and took control in the third quarter on their way to a 123-104 win over the Pistons in front of a raucous crowd in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards exploded for the Wolves (43-32) in the third quarter, scoring 20 of his 25 points in the frame as Minnesota built a lead that at one point hit double digits. Julius Randle caught a rhythm, too, with 10 of his 26 points coming in the third quarter. It was a complete momentum flip for a freshly motivated Wolves team following the fight.
After Reid was fouled in the second quarter, DiVincenzo and Holland started shoving each other and both teams surrounded the duo in what became a massive brawl that extended into the courtside crowd. It resulted in ejections for Reid, DiVincenzo and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni from the Wolves, and ejections from Holland, Marcus Sasser, Isaiah Stewart and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff for the Pistons (42-33). Suspensions for a few players seem likely to follow.
In addition to the strong games from Edwards and Randle, Rudy Gobert was a force from the get-go on a night the Wolves struggled to get it going early on. Gobert had with 19 points and 25 rebounds. Mike Conley added 17 points, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 11 points off the bench, including a pair of fourth-quarter 3s that helped put the game away.
The Pistons were without leading scorer Cade Cunningham, who was ruled out due to a calf injury. Former Wolves player Malik Beasley, the NBA’s leader in made 3-pointers, hit six shots from deep on his way to a game-high 27 points.
The Wolves return to action on Wednesday when they visit the Denver Nuggets for a 9 p.m. CT tipoff.
Published Mar 30, 2025|Modified Mar 30, 2025
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