It was chaos when the NBA‘s Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves faced off in a matchup on Friday. The mayhem broke out at the end of the third quarter when Minnesota’s Austin Rivers got into a confrontation with Orlando’s Mo Bamba, who was sitting on the bench.
Rivers, who was furious after hearing some trash talk from the bench, ended up exchanging punches with Bamba. As more players became involved in the fight, Orlando’s Jalen Suggs tackled Rivers.
Several other players then piled in as the referees tried to break up the chaos. Rivers was thrown out of the game, along with teammates Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince. Bamba and Suggs were also ejected.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Rivers said he “just didn’t like the way (Bamba) was talking” to him after he had missed a three-pointer.
“For no reason, too. I don’t even know that dude,” Rivers said according to ESPN. “I don’t know anything about him. Obviously, I just know he’s a player for the Magic. And he proceeded to talk, so that next possession, when I went down there, I just said, pretty much, ‘Just keep it respectful, bro…’ I’m not going to let somebody disrespect me.’”
Orlando’s Markelle Fultz said his teammate had said “nothing disrespectful or crazy.”
“It was just … people talking trash when somebody shoots on the side,” Fultz said, according to ESPN. “Same stuff they do on their side. I don’t know if it was something that [Rivers] has been dealing with or something, but he got extremely mad, and that’s what he chose to do to retaliate.”
The Magic won the game 127-120.
