The Philadelphia 76ers (43-22) wrapped up their five-game road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves (34-33). With James Harden sitting out, the Sixers won in convincing fashion by a score of 117-94.
Let's break down the Sixers' win over the Timberwolves.
Sixers player notes:
Joel Embiid: 39 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 13-22 FG shooting
Without the pick-and-roll partner he has been so great with as of late, Embiid dominated all the same. He went to work in the post and didn't let Gobert's long arms affect him. The big man shot the lights out from deep, generated a ton of Minnesota fouls and was a menace defensively, denying shot after shot at the rim. He nearly single-handedly put Philly ahead by enough to secure the win and was able to sit out the whole fourth quarter, playing only 28 minutes.
Tyrese Maxey: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 9-16 FG shooting
Maxey ran some pick-and-roll with Embiid in Harden's absence but the results were understandably not as potent. No one on the Timberwolves could keep up with him when he got downhill. He extended his streak of 20-point games to six, proving even more that he belongs in the starting lineup.
De'Anthony Melton: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4-10 FG shooting
Melton had a tough time keeping Edwards away from the hoop but he still contributed well with his shooting (3-5 from deep) and rebounding. Another role player who deserves a shoutout is Tobias Harris, who didn't shoot the ball well in his return but he otherwise stuffed the stat sheet with a season-high 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Timberwolves player notes:
Anthony Edwards: 32 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 12-24 FG shooting
Edwards commanded the ball a lot for the Timberwolves, though head coach Chris Finch is trying to balance things out more. He powered his way to the hoop consistently and shot the three-ball very well but no one else on the team could get going around him. Only one other player who wasn't a garbage-time crusader (Jordan McLaughlin) shot 50 percent from the field.
Rudy Gobert: 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2-6 FG shooting
Gobert could not hang with Embiid. His attempts to score on him were fruitless and he didn't help enough on offense to keep Minnesota in it. Although he did a solid job rebounding, the offseason trade to acquire him looks worse as the days go on.
Game recap:
1st half
Melton started in Harden's place as he sat out with left foot soreness, missing his first game since January 21. Fortunately for Philly, Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker returned to the starting lineup. Melton guarded Edwards while Jaden McDaniels matched up with Maxey and, of course, Gobert defended Embiid.
The first nine shots of the game resulted in makes until Gobert swatted the heck out of an Embiid shot attempt. Unfortunately for him, it went right to Melton, who drained a three. The Wolves showed their affinity for pushing the pace (they're in the top five in the NBA) by getting out to run often and searching for turnovers to kickstart fast breaks. Embiid's hot start gave the Sixers a reliable outlet to score but you know your opponent just has it going when Nickeil Alexander-Walker banks in a three at the end of the shot clock.
Doc Rivers went to an all-bench lineup consisting of Shake Milton, Danuel House Jr., Jalen McDaniels, Georges Niang and Paul Reed. Edwards welcomed his teammate's older brother to town by putting a two-hand dunk right on his head, plus the foul, to cap off a 15-point first quarter. Not staggering Embiid and Maxey only led to Philly being down by three at the end of the first quarter.
The bench lineup managed to stay in it despite some rebounding and defending issues. Maxey and Harris came in for McDaniels and House after a few minutes and helped Philly get into the paint at will. The Wolves were able to do the same, though — what else is new? Embiid made it much harder for them to get good looks once they got there. Credit to Gobert for at least trying but he came up empty and honestly looked kinda silly with his gangly limbs flailing after getting stifled.
Maxey put the pedal to the metal, blowing by defenders of all sizes for layups while Embiid made plays, including a pair of blocks and a step-back triple, to lead an 18-5 Sixers run at the end of the second quarter. They led 58-45 at the break.
2nd half
Gobert started out the second half with a bang by…running into his own teammate, Mike Conley. The veteran guard was fine but it was just funny. Anyway, the Sixers got rolling to start the half with eight quick points from Embiid. Minnesota tried using Kyle Anderson to guard him while putting Gobert in position to help off of Tucker but it didn't slow him down.
The Timberwolves offense went cold from the paint but was still able to score via the long ball. Obviously, their issue was on the other side of the floor. Jaden McDaniels (Jalen's younger brother) did his best and collected a few blocks but he could only do so much. Embiid was just unstoppable, as he scored 22 points in the third quarter while Minnesota scored only 23. The guys around him made the right hustle plays to give Philly a 19-point lead heading into the fourth.
The bench Sixers bumbled and stumbled on offense while the Timberwolves showed a speck of life. Rivers subbed Maxey into the game and he corrected the course by generating 11 points (scoring eight and tossing an assist to Niang) and pushing the lead to 24 points. From there, Philly coasted to victory. Furkan Korkmaz saw his first minutes since February 3 and scored six points.
Random thoughts:
- Overall, this was a very impressive road trip for the Sixers. Headlined by arguably the best regular-season win in years and also featuring two insanely high-scoring games that Philly split (losing to a team with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the second night of a back-to-back), they showed an impressive amount of fight and won four out of five games in seven days while Embiid, Harden and Maxey all shined.
The Sixers will get a few days off before facing the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday in what will be Matisse Thybulle's homecoming.
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