Split decisions can often lead to drastic consequences. The NBA proved this to be the case in the aftermath of Sunday's brawl between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons.
After a few days of mulling things over, the league has officially decided to shell out multiple suspensions to members of both ball clubs.
For the Wolves, it was determined that Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo would be shelved for one game apiece for their parts in the incident.
The Pistons, meanwhile, will see Ron Holland II and Marcus Sasser also receive one-game suspensions, while Isaiah Stewart will miss two games due to what the NBA refers to as "his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts."
Pair of Timberwolves players hit with one-game suspensions
While this turn of events may not be all that surprising to some, as the league has regularly cracked down on physical altercations over the last several years, it's likely something that Wolves star Anthony Edwards will have some qualms about.
Directly following the Sunday night scrum, the superstar guard publicly voiced his opinion on how he believes punishments should be divvied up, as he said, “I don’t think they should miss games for that," but, rather, suggesting the worst thing they should be hit with is a fine.
Frankly, these suspensions to both Reid and DiVincenzo couldn't come at a worse time for the Timberwolves.
At 43-32, they find themselves hanging on by a thread to the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings, and with just half a game of separation between them and the sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors and seven games remaining on the regular season docket, every outing from here on out is a must-win as they hope to avoid the Play-In Tournament altogether.
With this in mind, losing two of their core rotation players, even just for one night, is a real blow, especially when considering their absence will come during their Tuesday night face-off against Nikola Jokic and the third-seeded Denver Nuggets.
In their place, coach Chris Finch will likely look toward a combination of Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to help pick up the slack to alleviate pressures on focal point stars Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle.
On the bright side, the Timberwolves head into their outing against the Nuggets with momentum on their side, as they've won three of their last four games and are 3-0 against Denver this season.
Still, being without both Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo, especially amid a playoff push, is far from an ideal scenario.