PHILADELPHIA _ For once in this young NBA season the Sixers were enjoying sort of a breather, up by 20 and scoring at will. Then a brawl broke out between two of the NBA's premier centers.
Joel Embiid and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns became involved in an old-fashioned NBA melee Wednesday night, although it didn't appear that either landed a punch. Both were ejected from the game as the Sixers led 75-55 with 6 minutes, 42 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Sixers won, 117-95, and now they will be waiting to see if they lose Embiid for any amount of time. The Sixers next play on Saturday in Portland.
Towns was being guarded by Ben Simmons when Embiid came down for a double team. The two centers collided and then Towns threw a punch that didn't appear to connect. Embiid and Towns tangled in a bear hug and were both thrown to the floor as both teams moved in.
Before leaving the court after his ejection, Embiid left the court punching the air Rocky-style, to the delight of the sellout Wells Fargo Center crowd.
Lost in all this was the fact that the Sixers improved to 4-0, while dropping the Timberwolves (3-1) from the undefeated ranks.
Several Philadelphia sports luminaries saw quite a game. New Phillies manager Joe Girardi was in attendance as were several Eagles, including quarterback Carson Wentz.
Embiid finished with 19 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes. He shot 7 for 14 from the field, while making his only 3-pointer, and also hit all four free throws. Towns, who entered the game averaging 32 points, had 13 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes. He shot 5 of 7 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and didn't get to the foul line.
Unlike previous games, the Sixers were having their way with Minnesota. The Timberwolves' biggest lead was three points in the first half, but the Sixers had built a 19-point halftime lead.
In the previous two games, the Sixers had to overcome 13-point deficits to win road contests in Detroit and Atlanta.
By halftime, Embiid led the way with 13 points. The Sixers kept applying the pressure in the third quarter, both before an after the fight.
The Sixers received a huge game off the bench from Furkan Korkmaz, who scored 17 points, one shy of his career high.
All of the Sixers starters scored in double figures. Tobias Harris had 18 points. Ben Simmons had 16 points and seven assists. Josh Richardson and Al Horford totaled 12 points each, with Horford grabbing 16 rebounds.
The Sixers said before the game that Trey Burke was not available due to illness.
