Embiid, Towns ejected as Sixers win fourth straight

LOS ANGELES, USA – Joel Embiid scored 19 points before being ejected because of a third-quarter fight as the Philadelphia 76ers won their fourth straight game to start the season by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-95.  

Embiid was sent to the showers along with Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns after the two got into a tussle that also included players and some coaches from both teams on Wednesday, October 30 (Thursday, October 31, Philippine time). 

“I was built for this city and they were built for me,” said Embiid, adding he didn’t throw any punches so he felt he shouldn’t be suspended. 

“You gotta be a Broad Street Bully,” he added in a reference to Philadelphia’s rough and tumble championship NHL team from the 1970s.

No one was injured in the melee that ignited under the basket with the Sixers leading 75-55 halfway through the 3rd. 

After they exchanged words, the two big men wrestled each other to the ground as teammates and coaches charged into the fray to try and separate the combatants. At one point, Sixers Ben Simmons put a choke hold on Towns, who ended up at the bottom of the pile.

Embiid and Towns were ejected. Embiid walked over to the sidelines and jokingly shadowboxed in front of the Sixers bench before being escorted to the locker room.

‘Raised around lions’

Towns declined to talk about the dust-up after the game.

“It was a competitive game. That’s all it was,” Towns said.

Towns and Embiid have a history of talking trash on the court and through social media and that continued after the contest.

Embiid tweeted later that Towns’ mother gave him a one-finger salute as he was being escorted out of the arena and into the tunnel under the seats.

“Great team win!!! I was raised around lions and a cat pulled on me tonight …. I got his mom giving me middle fingers. That’s some SERIOUS REAL ESTATE,” Embiid wrote on Twitter.

The victory leaves the 76ers as one of two unbeaten NBA teams along with the 3-0 San Antonio Spurs. The Timberwolves suffered their first loss, falling to 3-1.

Tobias Harris scored 18 points, Furkan Korkmaz came off the bench to tally 17 and Simmons finished with 16 for Philadelphia. Al Horford grabbed 16 rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points and Towns finished with 13 points for the Timberwolves.

Celtics rally

Elsewhere, Kemba Walker delivered his second straight 32-point performance as the new-look Boston Celtics came from behind to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 116-105.

Just last Saturday, new addition Walker had a breakout 32-point performance with the Celtics in a 118-95 victory over the New York Knicks.

He matched that Wednesday and added 6 assists and 6 rebounds as the Celtics improved to 3-1 on the young season.

The Celtics, who finished as the 4th seed in the East last season behind Milwaukee, Toronto and Philadelphia, are trying to show they are an even stronger contender this time around.

“It has been a great start so far,” said Walker.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 22 points and 14 rebounds. – Rappler.com