MINNEAPOLIS – Cole Anthony had 20 points and fellow reserve player Moritz Wagner had 19 as Orlando’s bench led the Magic to a 127-120 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, including a Battle between teams and five player ejections Friday night.
The Late in the third quarter, a brawl broke out in front of the Orlando bench, when Minnesota guard Austin Rivers and magic center Mo Bamba got into an altercation. Bamba came off the bench and Rivers threw punches at him in a tussle that spread to several others on the court.
As play initially resumed at the other end, Jalen Suggs pulled Rivers away from Bamba and to the ground while other players joined in.
“You obviously want to stand behind your teammate and you have to be a pro at the same time,” said Wagner, who was kicked out after a fight with the Detroit Pistons in December. “Well, that’s a challenge for a young team like us. I think we did a good job this time compared to last time. So, yeah, I don’t really know. It’s a strange dynamic. You don’t really want to be in those situations and it’s not really the best look. You want to be professional. At the same time, there is something in me that appreciates the fact that the team sticks together like this.”
Rivers, Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince were ejected for the Timberwolves, who lost forward Kyle Anderson to injury early in the game. Bamba and Suggs were thrown for Orlando.
Reserve big man Bol Bol had 14 points for the Magic, who got 72 points from their bench. Orlando had lost three of four but got a rarely strong defensive performance aided by Suggs’ on-ball defense before being ejected.
“You have to keep playing,” said Magic Trainer Jamahl Mosley. “You have to win the game between the lines. It’s not about all the talking. It’s not about all that. You have to make sure you’re playing right, doing the right thing, continuing to share the basketball, and continuing to defend.”
D’Angelo Russell had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, who won six of eight. Anthony Edwards added 19 points and Rudy Gobert scored 15.
The Timberwolves shot 46% from the field and made 20 turnovers, resulting in 26 points for Orlando.
“I don’t think our approach was wrong,” said Minnesota coach Chris Finch. “I think our execution was soft. And we wanted it to be a little easier than it was. Knew it was going to be a physical game. We had a hard time keeping the ball. So yeah, it felt like they were ready to play. They understood. When a little tragedy struck, we really couldn’t stop it.”
The Magic started Day 23 in the NBA defensively, but their youth and length challenged Minnesota — Edwards in particular.
The rising star had scored at least 25 points in seven straight games and 30+ in five of those games. But he shot just 5 of 15 from the field and 1 for 7 from 3-point territory.
HOT LAUGHERS
The fight seemed to come suddenly, with no prior hint of potential trouble.
A few moments earlier, Rivers missed a 3-pointer right in front of the Orlando bench and replays showed the 7-footer Bamba and Markelle Fultz reacting as they watched Rivers run back onto the court. The 6-foot-4 Rivers said he objects to Bamba’s comments.
“I’m just like, ‘Yo, what are you doing?'” Rivers said. “I went up to him and hugged him, and at this point it can go one of two ways. I didn’t think we would argue. But if you get up that quickly and put your hands up – he threw a punch and thankfully missed. At this point I have to protect myself. Nobody worries about him.”
TIP INS
Magic: Wendell Carter Jr. was restrained with a right plantar fascia strain. Bamba started in his place and had 11 points. … Suggs scored all 10 of his points in the second quarter. … Orlando had 13 offensive rebounds and 28 second-chance points.
Timberwolves: Anderson left early in the first quarter with back spasms and didn’t return. … Gobert returned after missing a game with right groin pain.
NEXT
Magic: In Charlotte on Sunday.
Timberwolves: host Denver on Sunday.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed without permission.
