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Seven ejected following scuffle in Minnesota Timberwolves-Detroit Pistons game

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CNN
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It might have been cold outside in Minneapolis on Sunday but it was plenty heated inside the Target Center.

Five players and two coaches were ejected from the Minnesota Timberwolves-Detroit Pistons game after a scuffle broke out in the second quarter.

Head coach JB Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser were tossed out for Detroit while Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo, and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were also lost for the game.

With the Pistons up 39-30 and about eight minutes to go before halftime, Holland fouled Reid while he was driving to the basket. Reid then pointed a finger at Holland which led to DiVincenzo getting between the two.

A skirmish started between the players which spilled all the way into the first row of the crowd behind the basket. Refs and security were able to calm down the situation and assess the penalties afterward.

The Timberwolves would go on to win 123-104.

After the game, Bickerstaff commended his team for sticking up for one another.

“Obviously, things went too far. … What you see if guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, trying have one another’s back and thats that,” Bickerstaff told reporters.

Bickerstaff, who is in his first year coaching Detroit, added the team is ‘frustrated after the incident and the loss.

“The game didn’t go how we hoped it would have gone. … You regret where all of it took place. That’s not something you ever want to see happen,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought our guys stood their ground, defended each other and had each others back. And those are non-negotiables in our locker room. … I thought our guys did that tonight.”

Minnesota head coach Chris Finch called the situation “dangerous” but placed the blame on the skirmish on the Pistons starting with the physicality of the game.

“Two guys went at it, and it spilled over into the crowd which is super dangerous, obviously just kept escalating and escalating, mostly from their side to be honest with you,” Finch said.

“… I thought it was bound to happen. It just felt like it was coming. You’ve just been in enough basketball games to kind of feel this coming. It’s unfortunate. We knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you. All these things that physical teams do. But I just thought it had got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands.”

While Bickerstaff said “there were things said” by Minnesota’s assistant coach, Finch questioned why Prigioni was ejected. However, he added the altercations sparked his team.

“It kind of was a pressure release for what the game needed or where the game was headed. Certainly don’t want to say needed that but that was like the only conclusion with the way the game was being played,” Finch said. “Didn’t matter how it was going to happen, it was just bound to happen.”

With the victory, Minnesota improved their record to 43-32 and sit in 7th place in a tightly-contested Western Conference.

The Timberwolves are next scheduled to play on Tuesday on the road against the Denver Nuggets while Detroit travel to Oklahoma City to face the NBA’s best Thunder on Wednesday.



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Magnus Carlsen slams table in frustration after shock loss to Gukesh Dommaraju in ‘turnaround of the year’

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Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist on the table in frustration after suffering a shock loss to defending classical chess world champion Gukesh Dommaraju at the 2025 Norway Chess tournament on Sunday.

Nineteen-year-old Gukesh pounced on a rare mistake from Carlsen at Finansparken in Stavanger, Norway, to seal the 3-0 victory and secure his first classical victory over the five-time world champion.

When Carlsen was forced to concede, the 34-year-old slammed his hand on the table in a surprise burst of emotion before shaking Gukesh’s hand and leaving the venue quickly, skipping his media duties.

The outburst caused a stunned reaction from the commentators with Carlsen usually known for his calm demeanor.

Carlsen admitted afterwards that he was left confused by his Indian opponent’s tactics.

“I don’t completely understand what (Gukesh’s) concept is here. It seems to me that I just have excellent play,” Carlsen said afterwards.

For Gukesh, who became the youngest-ever world chess champion last year, it was a momentous victory and one which he didn’t think would come.

“99 out of 100 times, I would lose. Just a lucky day!” Gukesh said afterwards.

“First classical win against Magnus, I mean, not the way I wanted it to be, but OK, I’ll take it.”

British grandmaster David Howell called Gukesh’s victory the “turnaround of the year” given the nature of the comeback.

He also praised the end of the game too. “Focus. Brilliance. Raw passion, anger, shock.
Elation. Sportsmanship. This moment had it all,” Howell wrote on X.

Carlsen still remains atop the Norway Chess standings despite the loss with four rounds of games left to play, with Gukesh moving up to third.

The tournament has a total prize fund of approximately $148,000, with the winner taking home almost $62,000.



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Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina

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Iga Świątek came from a set and a break down against Elena Rybakina to extend her winning run at the French Open, prevailing 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday.

Three-time defending champion Świątek has now recorded 25 consecutive main draw wins at Roland-Garros, with Chris Evert the only woman in the Open Era to have more on 29.

She was made to work hard for it against former world No. 3 Rybakina, who battled hard to cause a huge upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Having raced into a 5-0 lead before wrapping up the opening set in just 35 minutes, Rybakina won the first eight points of the second set to put her in full control of the fourth-round contest.

But Świątek rallied in the second part of the match, edging out Rybakina in a tight deciding set to continue her hunt for a sixth grand slam title and fifth at the French Open.

Świątek celebrates match point against Elena Rybakina.

“I was feeling pretty bad (at the start of the match), so I was kind of accepting that I can lose it,” Świątek later told reporters. “But it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to fight for it anyway.”

The world No. 5 will next play 13th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals after the Ukrainian beat last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini on Sunday.

Having won in straight sets across the opening three rounds of the tournament, Świątek faced her first real test of this year’s French Open against Rybakina. She saved 10 break points over the course of the match, only edging in front in the final stages of the deciding set.

It was a gutsy, rather than an accomplished, victory for the Polish star. She made an uncharacteristic seven double faults during the match, including three in one game in the second set.

But in the context of her title defense, this sort of victory might feel more significant than the many routine wins she has had in Paris.

“I think I needed that kind of win … That I’m able to win under pressure, and even if it’s not going the right way, still turn the match around to win it,” Świątek said.

“For sure, it’s a great confirmation for me. Obviously, it’s great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it’s not always going to be possible. I’m happy that I fought and also problem-solved on court.”

Another defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, also overcame a challenging opponent to reach the quarterfinals, defeating American 13th seed Ben Shelton 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Alcaraz is looking to win a fifth major at the French Open.

Alcaraz had to save three set points to avoid handing Shelton the early lead, and he then faced six break points in the first game of the second set, only to survive and get a break of his own at 4-3.

Although Shelton had a glimmer of hope when he took the third set, the Spaniard hit back in the fourth, once again demonstrating his supremacy on clay to secure his 100th victory on the surface.

Coming into the tournament off the back of wins in Monte-Carlo and Rome, Alcaraz is looking to capture his fifth grand slam title and second at the French Open. On Tuesday, he faces American Tommy Paul for a spot in the final four.



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NBA playoffs: Indiana Pacers eliminate New York Knicks to advance to first NBA Finals in 25 years

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The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 125-108 to win the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals in six games and advance to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 2000.

It was another hard fought battle between two teams with a storied past that was a tight game until the Pacers pulled away in the final quarter. Just like most of the playoffs, the duo of Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton led the way for Indiana, finishing with 31 points and 21 points respectively.

It was Siakam’s third game this series with at least 25 points which garnered him the Larry Bird Trophy – awarded to the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.

“It’s been such an amazing experience for me so far,” Siakam told the TNT Sports broadcast about his time in Indy. “From the first day I landed here like the love has been amazing. … First class organization. I’m just so happy to be here. I mean tonight, after a bad Game 5, we wanted to bounce back, I have like 100% belief in my teammates. Whenever we are down, we always find a way.”

The game also marked a historic moment for the broadcast; the Pacers victory was the last game in the long-standing relationship between the NBA and TNT. While “Inside the NBA” will continue on ESPN, the NBA on TNT ended at the culmination of the Eastern Conference finals.

Both teams kept it close in the first half, trading baskets despite the Knicks’ turnover issues that plagued them the whole game.

It was a quick 9-0 run from three consecutive 3-pointers to open the third quarter that made the difference for a fast-paced Pacers squad.

From there, the crowd on hand at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which featured WNBA star Caitlin Clark, roared the Pacers to the very end.

Lexie Hull and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever attend Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Haliburton said he was “really proud” of the way his team played.

“We had a tough showing last game as a group so we wanted to respond. We did a great job at that,” Haliburton told the TNT Sports broadcast.

“I don’t even have words. It’s really exciting. We will enjoy this one for now and theres a lot more work to do against a really tough team. Just really proud of this group.”

It was a tough night for the Knicks All-Star duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Brunson added 19 points.

New York struggled with the pestering Indiana defense, leading to 17 turnovers as a team. Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard had a game-high six steals.

Despite the Knicks appearing to inch their way back into the game multiple times, Indiana proved to be too much to handle as New York’s attempt to become the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit fell painfully short.

Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Knicks, who haven’t won a title since 1973, let alone advance to the Finals since 1999, again were eliminated by a team they consider one of their greatest rivals.

The two teams met in the playoffs eight times in their histories including six in eight years between 1993-2000. Last year, Indiana defeated New York in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, setting an NBA record for the best field goal percentage ever in an NBA game, converting 67.1% of their shots.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to all the adversity the team faced this season with injuries and late additions to the rotation when asked how they can take the next step and get to a Finals.

“I’m proud of what these guys did,” Thibodeau told reporters. “There was a lot that we had to get through and I thought we handled that part well. … A lot of moving parts but they kept fighting and moving forward. And I’ve got great respect for that.”

The 28-year-old Brunson didn’t mince his words about another loss to the Pacers, saying it “sucked” but expressed the confidence in how the team will rebound in the future.

“The most confidence. Overconfident. Seriously. There’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident with this group,” Brunson said.

Towns added that the moves the Knicks have made were to “win.”

“It hurts not to bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said. “We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and we hope to – the plan now is to put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.”

The Pacers face a tall task next, playing the NBA’s best regular season team – the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing in their second-ever Finals appearance – which starts on Thursday at the Paycom Center.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.



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