Woj: Wolves Say Ben Simmons Had Karl-Anthony Towns in 'Dangerous Choke Hold'
The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly took issue with Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons' actions during a fight that resulted in both T-Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns and Sixers center Joel Embiid getting ejected Wednesday.
As seen in the following video, Towns and Embiid mixed it up after getting tangled up during a change of possession. During the fracas, Simmons ended up on top of Towns with his arm around Towns' neck:
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves felt Simmons had Towns in a "dangerous choke hold." After the game, referee Mark Ayotte told a pool reporter that Simmons was "deemed a peacemaker" during the fight.
Simmons was allowed to stay in the game, and the 76ers went on to win 117-95.
The NBA is investigating the situation, and both Embiid and Towns could in line for suspensions. After the game, Embiid said he didn't think he deserved a suspension: "I didn't throw any punches, so I shouldn't get suspended."
Prior to the ejection, Embiid was getting the better of Towns with 19 points and five rebounds to Towns' 13 points and six boards. Embiid was also a plus-7, while Towns was a minus-13.
Simmons went on to finish with 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks, along with a plus-19 rating over 33 minutes in the victory.
Embiid and Towns are two of the best big men in the NBA, and they have put up the numbers to prove it so far this season. Embiid is averaging 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, while Towns is averaging 27.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
The Sixers improved to 4-0 with Wednesday's win, while the surprising T-Wolves suffered their first loss of the season and fell to 3-1.
Since the 76ers and Timberwolves are in different conferences and play infrequently, it may be difficult for what happened Wednesday to develop into a true rivalry, although Embiid and Towns should have a chance to go at it again on March 24 when the T-Wolves host the Sixers.
