Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges Add New Element to 'Nova Knicks Takeover - and Spoil Joel Embiid's Debut

If 76ers fans were already tired of hearing about the “Nova Knicks,” Tuesday night couldn’t have helped.

A big night from New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns threw more local salt in the wound and spoiled the Sixers’ NBA Cup opener.

The new Knicks handed the Sixers and their fan base a familiar defeat at the Wells Fargo Center. spoiling the return of Joel Embiid, 111-99, much to the delight of the rowdy Knicks fans who once again filled the arena.

“I think it’s all-around play, strong on both sides of the ball,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of what impressed him most about his team’s performance. “They’re obviously a different team with Embiid. And then obviously Paul George added a lot to them as well… So I knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, and it was.”

Former Villanova standout Josh Hart finished with a triple-double, while all five Knicks starters finished with double-digit points in the first installment of the league’s season tournament.

Hart finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 24, while Karl Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges finished with 21, 18 and 14, respectively.

Some faces may have changed, but you could forgive Sixers fans if the result still evoked déjà vu.

Last year’s Villanova-led version of the Knicks sank the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs, winning two games in Philly, including the decisive Game 6, in which Knicks fans infamously overran the arena.

Swap Donte DiVincenzo for Mikal Bridges and the number of former Villanova players, as well as the game outcome, remained the same.

In October, DiVincenzo, Julius Randall, Keita Bates-Diop and a protected first-round draft pick sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Towns.

Months earlier, the Knicks had traded five first-round picks in exchange for Mikal Bruggenwho graduated from Great Valley High in Malvern before starring at Villanova.

Bridges was subsequently drafted by the Sixers at No. 10 in the 2018 NBA draft, but was infamously dealt to the Phoenix Suns for Zaire Smith despite Bridges’ mother, Tyneeha Rivers, having worked within the Sixers organization.

“It was cool to see all those banners,” Bridges said. “Wells Fargo was the second home (in Villanova). We stayed there the whole time. We played there my whole senior year, so it was cool.

Paul George led the Sixers with 29 points. Rookie guard Jared McCain added 23. Embiid had 13 points, three rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes and shot 2-for-11 from the field.

Towns, a native of Piscataway, N.J., also has ties to the Sixers.

He knew former Sixers legend Darryl Dawkins as Uncle Darryl. Towns’ father, Karl, was friends with Dawkins, who died in 2016 at the age of 58, for more than two decades.

“Every time I get to play with an NBA jersey on, I’m blessed,” Towns said. “This is a dream job and a dream opportunity for all of us. Ever since we were kids, we’ve been looking forward to having the opportunity to be here.

“(This is) somewhere I have history with now. Not (just) from (because I’m from New Jersey), but from my family, the Dawkins, and because I’m here. Because I’m here so often. Seeing the greats, just to be in a position where I get to make my own legacy, it’s such an honor, it’s a blessing.