NBA: Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns ejected as Sixers rout Timberwolves

By the Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns got into a brawl that overshadowed a rout on the court.

Embiid scored 19 points before he was ejected for fighting with Towns, and the Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a 117-95 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win to begin the season.

The Sixers were leading 75-55 midway through the third quarter when Embiid and Towns went at it. The two big men have a history of talking trash to each other. After they got tangled under the basket, Embiid shoved Towns, who answered with a punch that missed as both men fell to the floor.

Ben Simmons jumped in and forcefully held Towns down as other players and coaches ran onto the court to separate everyone.

“I didn’t throw any punches, so I shouldn’t get suspended,” Embiid said.

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.”

Embiid shadowboxed to the crowd’s delight on his way back to the locker room. Fans responded with “MVP!” chants.

“I was built for this city,” Embiid said. “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.”

Embiid said the fight “happened out of nowhere,” but added: “I like to get in people’s mind.”

Sixers coach Brett Brown said he’s not concerned that Embiid will receive a suspension.

“I don’t see punches being thrown (by Embiid) and I don’t believe he was the instigator,” Brown said.

Both teams entered 3-0. The Spurs, at 3-0, are the only other unbeaten team in the NBA.

Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points, Towns had 13 points and former Sixer Robert Covington had seven for the Timberwolves.

Tobias Harris scored 18 points, Furkan Korkmaz had 17 off the bench and Simmons added 16 for Philadelphia. Al Horford grabbed 16 rebounds to go with 12 points.

Minnesota led 11-9 midway through the first quarter before Harris hit a 3-pointer. Harris followed with a driving layup and Philadelphia led the rest of the way.

Embiid punctuated a dominant first half with a 3 to put the Sixers up 63-42 going into the break.

“It’s competitive, we knew it was going to be that way,” Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said.

Nikola Vucevic, Magic rally to beat Knicks

Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic’s shooting woes continue early in the season. So has their dogged defense.

Nikola Vucevic scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds and Aaron Gordon scored 10 of his 15 points in the final five minutes of the game to help Orlando beat New York 95-83 on Wednesday night to end a two-game losing streak.

Evan Fournier added 14 points, Jonathan Isaac had 10 and Orlando finished on a 16-3 run.

The Magic limited New York to just one basket and one free throw in the final eight minutes to rally from an 80-79 deficit. Orlando allowed the Knicks just one of 11 shooting and forced three turnovers in that game-deciding stretch.

“We’re trying to find our way offensively, but I do believe we had great defensive talent on this roster,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “Through these first 10-12 games, we can defend and compete our way through until we get our offense going. That’s what we did tonight.”

The defense was very much needed. Orlando, the worst shooting team in the NBA going into the game, had a nice run in the third quarter — hitting 13 of 20 shots — but the rest of the game was a struggle.

Gordon had only five points when he nailed a 3-pointer that ignited the Magic’s fourth quarter rally. After a Vucevic layup, Gordon drilled another 3-pointer, a follow shot and capped the run with a reverse dunk. It was his most impressive offensive stretch in the young season.

“It was part of the process of getting to the open spots, being in the right place and trusting my teammates,” Gordon said. “They made great passes that allowed me to shoot the shots in rhythm.”

Julius Randle led New York with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Mitchell Robinson had 12 points, all in the first half, and Bobby Portis added 12.

The Knicks withstood Orlando’s offensive surge in the third quarter by scoring the last 10 points of the period. New York, which trailed by 15 at one point in the quarter, erased the last of that deficit when Portis hit a 3-pointer to put the Knicks up 80-79 with 8:05 left in the game.

However, there wasn’t much offense to talk about after that.

“Two things happened in the fourth quarter: we didn’t come up with loose balls and the ball stopped moving,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said. “It was a trust factor. In tight situations, you’ve got to share the ball. When the ball stops moving for us, it’s death.”

The Magic, who have struggled with their shooting in every game, entered the game last in the NBA in shooting percentage, lived down to that reputation in the first half, hitting just 15 of 45 shots. No Magic player reached double figures in the first half, but New York couldn’t make them pay for it.

The Knicks, playing without their two top point guards, Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton, got an unexpected 12 points from Robinson in the first half, but not much else from his teammates. New York did take a 44-42 into halftime.

Source: Manila Bulletin