Analyzing the Towns-Embiid Scuffle

The only winners were the fans.

Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns got into a fight on Wednesday night. It was glorious.

Punches were thrown, whistles were blown, and incredible Twitter content was born. There will be those who disapprove of what can truly be labeled a kerfuffle, and to those people I say: good riddance!

A lot happened, let's dig in!

1) The play away from the ball

Andrew Wiggins had a nice block on Al Horford before Tobias Harris laid in the put back. No one was more upset about this fracas than Wiggins, who is doing his own soul-searching to rebuild his former No. 1 pick reputation. Not only was his block nullified, but now he has to get involved in this child's play on the other end of the court? You can see the lethargy in his gait after initially appearing to sprint out of the gate.

2) The initial blow

They make intentional contact with each other at the same, which is a great sign for the beginning of a fight.

Towns' initial whiff is an unfortunate first move, but he compensates for the miss quickly with the smooth transition into a headlock. It was so smooth that it actually looks like KAT meant to do that.

Embiid counters with pure strength, repositioning himself to be on equal footing, and just in time for Ben Simmons to tip them over. I know Simmons clearly didn't mean to tip them over, but 229-pounders don't stop on a dime like that. Nevertheless, Towns persists to start angling both Simmons and Embiid to the ground — a truly remarkable display of brawn. Jeff Teague arrives on cue to start truly pushing the pile to the hardwood. In this frame: Advantage Towns.

3) The aftermath for Embiid

The separation between Towns and Embiid is hardly graceful, but no winner emerges. Teague pounces on top of Embiid, seemingly forgetting that he is Jeff Teague trying to pin down Joel Embiid.

The bevy of suits pulls Embiid away, who unjustifiably gestures and smiles as if in triumph. Alas, that is not the case. Wiggins circles around the gaggle pretending to be involved. He is not, he is still angry, and he walks away.

The only winner in this shot are the two fans who pound on Embiid's chest and shoulder to celebrate. If that were me, that's a moment I talk about for 20 years at the minimum.

4) Ben Simmons chokes Towns

First, we must pay respects to the man in the gray suit who tumbles in front of Simmons and Towns. He didn't ask to be there, but there he was.

Second, what is Jake Layman doing? How did he circle the entire pile in that time? How did he fall? You don't have to get involved in a fight to be cool, Jake.

Simmons certainly didn't seem to take his reprimanding to the ground, but he had the quick twitch to get on top of Towns as he tried to drag himself away from the eye of the storm.

From there, Towns had no chance. Simmons bodied him up and got Towns into a deep choke hold so constrictive that Towns actually tapped out. I still declare it unfair to pick a winner or loser. I think Simmons' overpowering was largely a result of right place, right time and for Towns it was the opposite.

5) The exit

I'm torn on how to interpret Embiid's exit. On one hand, he shadow boxed more aggressively than he actually fought with KAT. It seems like stolen valor to signify any sort of victory with those excitable antics. But I also respect that energy compared to Towns, who departed in lackluster fashion. We haven't learned anything more or less about his brand as a player despite the fantastic scuffle. But for Embiid, that was a classic. He had the upper hand because of home court advantage, but he didn't waste the moment.

And what a moment it was.