The dust has settled after a hoops brawl between Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid on Wednesday night, but the fallout remains plenty active.
Brawling in the middle of Philadelphia’s 117-95 win over Minnesota got Towns and Embiid suspended two games, but it’s also brought Jimmy Butler out of the woodwork.
Butler was called to the scene, so to speak, when Embiid tagged him in an Instagram post in which the 76ers big man referenced Butler’s infamous practice in Minnesota where he played with the third-stringers while reportedly screaming at Towns, Andrew Wiggins and other starters.
Butler laughed and responded: “thank you for dragging me into this.”
Jimmy Butler has logged on: pic.twitter.com/QiqzGw9M0S
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) October 31, 2019
“I knew somehow, someway I was going to get drug into the clash of the titans, whatever you want to call it,” Butler said on the NBA on TNT (halfway through the video below). “I like it, though. I’m one for do what you gotta do. It’s just funny because as soon as I saw it I was like, ‘here we go, my name is getting thrown into it.’ Jo is my guy. I knew he would be the one to throw me into it.”
According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski (paywall), the Wolves are “fuming” over the way the NBA handled punishments. Krawczysnki says Minnesota believes Embiid deserved a harsher penalty for allegedly instigating the snuggle fest, for how he riled up the crowd after the fight, and for how far he took the dispute on social media after the game.
Minnesota is also reportedly disappointed that 76ers star Ben Simmons wasn’t punished for his role in the brawl. NBA officials ruled that Simmons was a “peacemaker,” whereas the Wolves are of the belief that Simmons placed Towns in a “dangerous chokehold,” according to ESPN.
Towns will miss games Saturday and Monday against the Wizards and Bucks, respectively. He’s eligible to play in next Wednesday’s game at Memphis.
