Tonight, the fans present at the Target Center in Minneapolis witnessed one of the biggest fights in NBA history during the matchup between Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons. So much so that seven members from both teams, including two coaches, made their way to the locker rooms early after being ejected.

The game with the most technical fouls in the NBA since 2005

The incidents occurred during the second quarter of the game with more than eight minutes left before halftime. At that moment, the Pistons were leading 30-39 on the scoreboard. It was then that the referee called a foul by Holland on Reid as he tried to drive to the basket. Both players started to confront each other, and although DiVincenzo tried to separate them, it was already too late.

Immediately, a multitude of players from both teams rushed onto the court and, after a fiery start to the game, unleashed a full-blown brawl in the middle of the court, which resulted in 12 technical fouls being called. The highest number in an NBA game in over 25 years. The confrontation was so intense that it caused panic among the fans sitting in the front rows.

Are the ‘Bad Boys’ returning to Detroit?

"Obviously, things went too far. But you can see that the guys take care of each other, protect each other, support each other... Those are non-negotiable values in our locker room," said J.B. Bickerstaff, coach of Detroit, who had to be separated after an intense altercation with Prigioni. A statement more reminiscent of the 'Bad Boys' era during the times of Dennis Rodman and his cohorts on the Pistons.

“We knew they were a very physical team. They hit you, they hold you... What you expect from a team like that. But there came a point when the players were going to take control, and that’s never desirable,” lamented Chris Finch, coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, despite his team's victory (123-104) over a Pistons team that had been rising in the standings over the past few weeks in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The Wolves, for their part, are holding on to the seventh spot in the Western Conference, which grants access to the ‘play-in’ with seven games remaining.