Minnesota’s 138-116 victory got chippy early in the fourth when a trip turned into pushing, shoving, and threats of punches
Minnesota’s Naz Reid wasn’t about to let Mouhamed Gueye’s trip go unanswered. Early in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game between the Timberwolves and Hawks, Gueye appeared to trip Reid. It wasn’t subtle. It wasn’t accidental. Reid got up immediately and got directly in Gueye’s face, ready to escalate things. What followed was a scuffle that involved players, coaches, arena staff, and somehow ended up with one guy bleeding from scratches on his neck and two players getting ejected on double technical fouls.
The pushing and shoving that erupted was genuinely chaotic. Jock Landale, the Hawks’ center, somehow got caught in the crossfire and fell to the floor during the fracas. He came away with scratches on his neck actual visible injuries from getting tangled up in something that had nothing to do with him. He stayed in the game despite the marks, apparently deciding that bleeding wasn’t reason enough to head to the locker room. Meanwhile, Reid was getting increasingly confrontational. At one point, he threatened a punch at Gueye. The two stood there, locked in that moment where everyone’s waiting to see if fists are actually going to fly. Except they didn’t. Despite all the escalation, despite the threatening gesture, no actual punches landed.
That restraint probably saved both their careers from fines and suspensions
 But it didn’t save them from ejection. The referees had seen enough. Gueye was called for the initial foul on the trip, and after a lengthy review of the entire sequence, both players got hit with double technical fouls. That meant immediate ejection for both. No questions asked. The rules are designed to shut down exactly this kind of situation before it becomes something genuinely dangerous.
Reid finished the game with seven points and six rebounds before getting tossed. He was playing in a Timberwolves team that desperately needed the win. Minnesota had just suffered a pair of genuinely disappointing losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and the LA Clippers, and the organization was hungry to get back on track. A 138-116 victory over Atlanta was the kind of dominant performance that Minnesota needed to remind everyone they’re still a legitimate playoff team. Reid’s ejection was the only real ugly moment on what was otherwise a clean performance.
For the Hawks, Gueye’s ejection meant losing a bench contributor at a moment when Atlanta needed their depth.
The forward had chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench, solid production from a role player who was supposed to help spark the second unit. Getting tossed in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss stung, especially because it was technically avoidable. That trip that started everything that was the real problem. If Gueye doesn’t trip Reid, none of this happens. If Reid doesn’t immediately get in Gueye’s face, it potentially de-escalates. But that’s not how NBA basketball works. Physical plays happen. Emotions flare. Sometimes guys decide they’re not going to let things slide.
The fact that no actual punches were thrown probably prevented an even bigger disaster
 The NBA takes fighting seriously. Suspensions, fines, all of that comes with throwing actual punches. Reid and Gueye got lucky that despite all the escalation, despite the threatening gesture and the physical proximity, they managed to pull back before crossing that line. The double technical fouls essentially punished both of them equally, which satisfied the referees’ need to maintain control without inflicting the kind of damage that suspensions would have caused.
Minnesota walked away with a convincing win and their momentum back. Atlanta went home with a blowout loss and a reminder that sometimes playing physical ball comes with consequences. And Jock Landale went home with scratches on his neck, probably wishing he’d stayed on the other side of the court when Reid and Gueye decided to settle things.
