Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns got into it with one another on Wednesday night in Philadelphia. The two big men were at the center of a scrap in the third quarter of the game between the Sixers and Timberwolves, leading to a pair of ejections and a whole lot of trash talk on social media in the aftermath.
Both players watched from the locker room as Philly picked up a 117-95 win to move to 4-0 on the year, but the result seemed secondary to how long we’d go without seeing Embiid or Towns step on the floor again. We got the answer on Thursday evening, and the answer, as it turns out, is not all that long.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that both Embiid and Towns would miss two games for their roles in the altercation. Additionally, Sixers guard Ben Simmons managed to avoid any reprimand — he came into the fray, went to ground with Towns, and wrapped up the Timberwolves’ center while the fracas came to a conclusion.
NBA suspensions from 76ers/Timberwolves scuffle, per sources: Joel Embiid, 2 games; Karl-Anthony Towns, 2 games. No fine for Ben Simmons.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 31, 2019
All parties viewed Simmons as a peacemaker in scuffle. Simmons was seen on top of Towns, calming him down with with his arms. https://t.co/0LNuQewES8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 31, 2019
The suspension means that Embiid will sit out the first two games on the Sixers’ upcoming road trip. He’ll watch as the team takes on Portland on Nov. 2 and Phoenix on Nov. 4 before, presumably, playing on Nov. 6 in Utah. As for Towns, he’ll miss Minnesota’s trip to Washington on Nov. 2 and the squad’s home tilt against Milwaukee on Nov. 4. His return is also slated for Nov. 6, when the Timberwolves travel to Memphis.
