Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony Towns Set First Playoff Clash
Joel Embiid and karl anthony towns will meet in the playoffs for the first time when the Philadelphia 76ers face the New York Knicks in a second-round series. The matchup reaches beyond the bracket because Embiid has already warned fans not to sell their tickets after seeing New York support take over the building in 2024.
Embiid Sends Ticket Warning
Embiid addressed 76ers fans with a direct plea: "I have a message for our fans. Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like (Philadelphia) was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support. Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you … If you need money, I got you."
That message followed a 2024 series in which the 76ers lost two home games to the Knicks and New York fans packed Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The building that should favor the home team already looked split once, and Embiid is trying to keep that from happening again.
Embiid And Towns History
The rivalry has been building since both entered the league more than a decade ago. It picked up steam in the 2018-19 season after Jimmy Butler III joined the 76ers via trade after spending just a season with Towns and the Timberwolves.
On October 30, 2019, Embiid and Towns tangled up and wrestled each other to the floor, and the altercation led to a massive scuffle involving both benches. Embiid and Towns were ejected, while Ben Simmons stepped in and put Towns in a headlock trying to break up the fight.
2019 Posts Still Echo
The fight spilled onto X the next day. Embiid posted that Towns' tough guy act was not cutting it and said he owned him, while Towns answered with photos of Embiid crying after a previous playoff series loss and the caption "All Bark & No Bite."
That history is part of why this series carries more edge than a normal second-round matchup. Towns was still with the Minnesota Timberwolves when the Knicks beat the 76ers in the first round in 2024, and now he finally gets Embiid across the floor in the postseason.
The Knicks enter as betting favorites to beat the 76ers and reach the Eastern Conference Finals for a second consecutive year. For Philadelphia fans, the immediate task is simple: keep the tickets in hand and make the home court look like one.
