BY DAVID THORPE

Maybe it was inevitable that Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns would fight. In some ways, they have been at it for years. In December 2017, Embiid was coming off an injury, and the middling Sixers were on the road against the 16-12 Timberwolves. Embiid hit some key late free throws and buckets and the Sixers won in overtime.

Then the rea…