Karl-Anthony Towns gets 2-game suspension for fight with Embiid in Philly
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 30: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers gets in a fight with Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on October 30, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE
(FOX 9) - The NBA is handing down two-game suspensions for both Wolves star Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers after the two big men got into a scuffle on Wednesday.
In the third quarter of the Wolves-Sixers matchup in Philadelphia, the two All-Stars started jostling after a turnover. Eventually, Towns put Embiid into a headlock and both men ended up on the floor. Both players were eventually ejected from the game.
Refs, players, and coaches ran to break up the fight, with Ben Simmons hopping on top of Towns and putting his arm around the Wolves center's neck.
However, according to reports, Simmons won't face a fine or suspension for his actions. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Simmons was viewed as a "peacemaker" in the scuffle and was trying to "calming him down with with his arms."
In a statement, Wolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas said: "While we are disappointed with the league’s decision, we understand the magnitude of this unfortunate incident. The NBA is highly competitive and last night was a reflection of that. We support Karl and will move forward together as a group."
Following the game, Embiid and Towns both took to social media to taunt each other. Embiid shared photos to Instagram from the game, writing: "I was raised around lions and a cat pulled on me tonight lmao."
Towns mocked Embiid's post and responded with a photo of him putting Embiid in a headlock among other embarrassing shots of Embiid.
The players won't face off again until March 24, when the Wolves host the Sixers in Minneapolis.
Towns will miss Saturday's road game against the Wizards and a home game versus the Bucks on Monday.