Minnesota Timberwolves against Detroit Pistons: seven expelled after brawl

Bickerstaff accused prisons of triggering the accident that saw them expelled by insulting his players.

“There were things said by their assistant coach,” Bickerstaff said.

“I am in the same boat as my boys. Defend us and we will not let people say warming up on my boys.

“And it’s so simple. So he said what he said. He knows what he said.”

The head of the coach of Minnesota Chris Finch later suggested that Detroit’s physical approach at the beginning of the game had triggered the flash point.

“I thought before, the game was too physical,” said Finch.

“It was a little lops in his physicality and I thought it was destined to happen. It seemed that he was coming.

“We knew they were a super physical team. They struck you, they keep you … but I just thought it had come to a point where the players would take the situation in his hand and you never want it.”