MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� A during the game between the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Five players were ejected following the brawl, which started in front of the Orlando bench late in the third quarter. Minnesota guard Austin Rivers and Magic center Mo Bamba were the initial players involved, and it spilled over to include several others on the court.
Rivers, Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince were ejected from the Timberwolves. Jalen Suggs was tossed along with Bamba for Orlando, which went on to win 127-120.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 like a cool moment for me,鈥� 鈥淚 feel embarrassed. I鈥檓 the oldest on the team. I consider myself the leader of the team, or one of the leaders of the team. It was a weird game, and I don鈥檛 think that helped at all. If anything right now, I鈥檓 just (ticked off) that we lost, and that I had (something) to do with that. It doesn鈥檛 make me feel good.鈥�
Bamba and Suggs were not available for comment after the game.
鈥淵ou obviously want to have your teammate's back and at the same time, you鈥檝e got to be a professional," said Orlando center Moritz Wagner, also involved in a skirmish with Detroit in December.
"So, that鈥檚 a challenge for a young team like us. I think this time around we did a good job compared to last time. So, yeah, I don鈥檛 really know. It鈥檚 a weird dynamic. You don鈥檛 really want to be in those situations and it鈥檚 not really the best look. You want to be professional. At the same time, there is something in me that appreciates the team sticking together like that.鈥�
Wagner appeared to get knocked out in that fight with the Pistons in Detroit. Wagner and Detroit's Killian Hayes and Hamadou Diallo were all ejected.
On this night, the fight began with Rivers right in front of the Magic bench as play was ongoing at the far end of the court. Bamba came off the bench and Rivers threw punches at him. Suggs later pulled Rivers away and swung him to the court. McDaniels and Prince joined the scrum.
鈥淭heir guy came off the bench and threw a punch,鈥� Timberwolves coach . 鈥淧retty egregious. Then it鈥檚 a melee, and somehow our guys get punished a lot worse. One guy got sent for not being a peacekeeper. I just looked at the film, and I didn鈥檛 see any difference between what their guys were doing and what our guys were doing.鈥�
The altercation seemed to stem from talk from the Magic bench, particularly Bamba. A few moments earlier, Rivers missed a 3-point attempt in front of the Orlando bench, and Bamba and Markelle Fultz could be seen reacting to the miss.
Rivers said he approached the 7-foot, 231-pound Bamba about his comments.
鈥淚鈥檓 not gonna snitch on the dude or whatever, but I just didn鈥檛 like the way he was talking to me,鈥� said Rivers, listed at 6-4 and 200 pounds. 鈥淔or no reason, too. I don鈥檛 even know that dude. I don鈥檛 know anything about him. Obviously, I just know he鈥檚 a player for the Magic. And he proceeded to talk, so that next possession, when I went down there, I just said, pretty much, 鈥楯ust keep it respectful, bro.鈥欌��
Rivers later added: 鈥淚 went up to him and I pressed him, and at that point, it can go one of two ways. I didn鈥檛 think we were going to get in a fight. But when you stand up that fast and put your hands up 鈥� he threw a punch and missed, thankfully. At that point, I've got to protect myself. Ain鈥檛 no one worried about him."
The fight came one night after
Brooks swung and struck Mitchell in the groin area during the third quarter Thursday after the Grizzlies guard had fallen to the floor. Mitchell retaliated by throwing the ball at Brooks and then shoving him.
Both players were ejected from Cleveland鈥檚 128-113 win. Afterward,
Friday, with Brooks getting suspended one game without pay and Mitchell fined $20,000.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Brian Hall, The Associated Press
