They’ve got nothing on Rocky.
Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns faced off with the Timberwolves trailing by 20 early in the third quarter of the host 76ers’ 117-95 blowout win on Wednesday night.
After Towns turned the ball over following a double team from Embiid and Ben Simmons, the two stayed on the opposite side of the court and wrestled each other to the ground. Towns appeared to swing at Embiid at least once before their teammates got involved, including an apparent chokehold from Simmons on Towns.
“First of all. I ain’t no bitch,” Embiid said after the game. “I like to get in people’s minds. I have real estate in their heads.”
“I didn’t throw any punches, so I shouldn’t get suspended.”
Embiid and Towns were tossed after a video review.
“We deemed the altercation a fight. Therefore, by rule, they’re both ejected,” said Mark Ayotte, the officials’ crew chief. “I just saw them each lock arms. And that escalated to the fight.”
The drama didn’t stop after Embiid and Towns were separated. Embiid embraced the spectacle as he left the court, imploring the raucuous Philly crowd to make noise and even shadow-boxing. The Sixers big man was even seen laughing after the altercation with Towns had blown over.
“I was built for this city,” Embiid said as the fans chanted “MVP” during his antics. “The love they have for me, I can’t thank them enough. I appreciate all the love. That reaction was probably the loudest I ever heard them. That’s what the city of Philadelphia is all about. You gotta come in here, you gotta fight, you gotta play hard, you gotta be gritty, you gotta be a Broad Street Bully. We’re gonna keep on fighting and try to accomplish the goal we have set for us.”
Towns downplayed the fight.
“It’s a competitive game. As a team, we need to play better with our system. We didn’t execute our game plan,” he said. “I’m disappointed in the [loss]. I don’t think we played our game. We were playing a different type of basketball. It wasn’t what got us to 3-0. We can learn a lot from this game.”
The double ejection comes amid a monstrous start to the season for Towns, who had averaged 32 points and 13.3 rebounds in the team’s first three games.
The two stars should expect suspensions from the league — the only question is how long they’ll be sidelined for.
Last season, Brandon Ingram received the longest punishment — four games — for the Lakers-Rockets melee that occurred at the Staples Center in October. Ingram, Rondo (three games) and Chris Paul (two games) all appeared to land punches (unlike Towns and Embiid), so the dueling duo may get off light for their scuffle.
The fight ironically comes after the Timberwolves visited the famous Rocky steps on Tuesday ahead of their clash with the Sixers.
— with AP
