I don’t know why everyone in the NBA is so geeked this weekend. Coaches are getting fined, referees are throwing dudes out left and right. Maybe it’s because most of us recently saw the sun for the first time in five months, although I couldn’t tell you for certain.
As the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets went head-to-head on Sunday, something had players on both sides itching. Early in the fourth quarter, Timberwolves big man Gorgui Dieng got into it with Houston’s Chris Paul and Gerald Green.
The incident came as Dieng was being defended by Paul in the low post. Paul was whistled for a foul while trying to get the ball away from Dieng, but even after the whistle blew the Rockets guard did not stop trying to get the ball. Dieng responded by pushing Paul, who fell to the ground as if someone cut the strings on him.
That prompted another whistle from the refs, and a crowd of players ensued. Green rushed to push Dieng, sending the Timberwolves center into the stands.
When the scene settled, Dieng was issued a technical foul and Green was ejected.
Dieng: he threw a cheap shot at me and I responded.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) March 19, 2018
3/18/18: Gorgui Dieng talks about his scuffle with Chris Paul: https://t.co/GsH3TEnvZ6 via @YouTube
— Zone Coverage (@ZoneCoverageMN) March 19, 2018
After the game, Dieng told reporters he thought Paul’s constant digging for the ball was a cheap shot, so he responded in kind.
Minnesota, energized, tried to make a late push on the top team in the Western Conference but came up just short. Houston beat the Timberwolves, 129-120.
