In a rare occurrence on an NBA court, actual punches were thrown as Austin Rivers and Mo Bamba started a skirmish.
Joel Embiid remained the league-leader in scoring after 33 points against the Spurs, and Buddy Hield was the spark against his former team.
Britain were handed the nightmare trip after failing to qualify for the quarter-finals last year.
Dillon Brooks appeared to elbow Donovan Mitchell below the belt, sparking a scuffle that ended up with a double-ejection.