The Philadelphia 76ers (19-8) got their first crack at a legitimately good team in a minute when they squared off with the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-6). The Sixers, despite a plethora of injuries, came out and secured a huge win, 127-113.
Let’s break down the Sixers' win over the Timberwolves.
Sixers player notes:
Joel Embiid: 51 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 17-25 FG shooting
But I thought he could only feast against bad teams?
Embiid got his first look at the Timberwolves this season after hip soreness sidelined him for the first matchup. He was dominant on both ends from the jump, pinning fouls on each of the Wolves' (very good) centers and controlling the paint on defense. The big man developed a killer mentality as the game went on, ready to stuff any defender in front of him into a locker.
Punctuated by 19 points in the third quarter, a bunch of automatic mid-range shots down the stretch and a new season-high in points, Embiid's case for MVP only grew stronger.
Tyrese Maxey: 35 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 12-24 FG shooting
This was probably not Maxey's very best game but it’s definitely one of his most encouraging – and still up there with his best. He had to work harder than ever against such a big Minnesota team but he never shied away. The start of the fourth quarter showed how he can dominate on and off the ball.
Although the headline performance in this game was clearly Embiid but Maxey was absolutely superb, too.
Timberwolves player notes:
Anthony Edwards: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 9-20 FG shooting
The Sixers sent a bunch of traps Edwards' way to make sure he didn’t get loose. He still found his way and scored at a high rate. It goes to show how truly elite he is. Patrick Beverley was right to buy stock in him early on.
Karl-Anthony Towns: 23 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 9-14 FG shooting
Towns was a major factor for Minny all night long, scoring with great efficiency and securing offensive boards. Edwards may be the main guy there now but KAT is still very good.
Game recap:
1st half
The Sixers' run of facing bad teams is over after seven games. The Timberwolves are as legit as they come, boasting star power, depth at every position and players who can make plays on both ends of the floor. The Wolves see the Sixers as a legitimately good opponent, too. Philly had some key absences to overcome with Nicolas Batum (right hamstring strain) and Robert Covington (illness) ruled out. Nick Nurse indicated that a great performance from Kelly Oubre Jr., who got the bump up to the starting five, would be very beneficial.
With the Sixers missing key role players, Nick Nurse said they’ll need a “good, solid” game from Kelly Oubre Jr, who will have a tough defensive assignment.
He indicated Danuel House Jr will get real minutes and that he could turn to Jaden Springer, KJ Martin or Mo Bamba: pic.twitter.com/ZEWY9Pazbd
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) December 20, 2023
The Sixers had Oubre guard Edwards while Tobias Harris took on Karl-Anthony Towns. The Wolves put Jaden McDaniels on Maxey, allowing him to use his size and quickness to make things tough for the smaller guard. He even picked is pocket for a breakaway layup that Maxey tried but failed to stop. Philly missed its first seven shots of the night but Embiid did put Rudy Gobert in foul trouble in three and a half minutes.
Danuel House Jr. got the bump into the rotation and came into the game along with Beverley and Morris later in the first quarter. Later in the opening frame, Embiid put a second foul on Towns. The Wolves carved out a small lead despite not shooting too well themselves as the Sixers aggressively double-teamed Edwards, their primary offensive engine.
Embiid's defensive activity was huge to start the game. He was used to double Edwards, altered a bunch of shots and broke up an alley-oop attempt on the fast break, perfectly reading Kyle Anderson's pass to Edwards. The Sixers' shots started to go down as Embiid — you'll never believe this — got backup center Naz Reid to pick up his second foul of the game.
Former Sixer Shake Milton checked into the game at the beginning of the second quarter after getting a tribute video during the first timeout of the game. While not a mainstay in the Wolves' rotation, Chris Finch has liked coaching him so far.
The Wolves' size was making it tough for Maxey but he stayed with it to lead the second unit. He got a bucket at each of the three levels to grow the Sixers' lead to double-digits. Taking on the top defensive team in the NBA with Embiid out is a tremendous sign that the endless requests to be aggressive are resonating.
Edwards was extremely close to putting a nasty dunk right on Embiid but the big man was able to force a miss, though he did get away with a foul, making some contact with Edwards' arm that forced him to lose the ball. The Timberwolves star was hit with a tech after talking with the refs. Edwards had a clear lane right at Embiid after beating Oubre on a backdoor cut. Embiid instead generated a point for the Sixers with Maxey hitting the technical free throw. And then Embiid drew another shooting foul on Gobert.
The Sixers tried out a box-and-one defense on Edwards but the Timberwolves were able to break it and force them back into man-to-man. Embiid rained down jumper after jumper and Oubre scored in the paint to push the lead, though things soured for Philly as De'Anthony Melton got hurt and walked back to the locker room very gingerly.
At halftime, the Sixers led 64-60 with Embiid and Maxey each scoring 20 points.
2nd half
Beverley started the second half in place of Melton, who was ruled out for the rest of the game due to a left thigh contusion. Meanwhile, Embiid and Maxey each picked up their third foul as the Sixers' offense went cold. With an 11-2 run, the Wolves went back ahead.
The Sixers wasted shot-clock time trying to spring Maxey free but McDaniels was not having it. Picking on the undersized Mike Conley didn’t work too well, as he stood his ground until McDaniels could recover. They had to resort to Embiid creating a shot with time winding down on several possessions. He was able to get to his jumper, though Gobert's long arms were not easy to get buckets over.
Embiid was able to bait Gobert into another shooting foul, this time canning the jumper. He then did the same to Towns on an awkward floater/push shot. He then beat Reid off the dribble for a slam that gave him 36 points in 28 minutes. Say what you will about the way he hunts fouls and/or his playoff failures but the man is simply unstoppable when he gets really going. He's great when he's mostly coasting but tonight he played like he wanted to make a statement.
The Sixers turned to K.J. Martin in the third quarter, though that gave the Wolves the opportunity to roam off of Emiid and put the foul-less Kyle Anderson on him. But the big man still stuck a foul on Reid, who hopelessly touched him as he stormed down the lane for a dunk. Philly led 90-87 heading into the fourth quarter.
Maxey's off-ball scoring shined in the fourth quarter with catch-and-shoot triples and a cutting layup over McDaniels' outstretched arm. Paul Reed's passing and offensive rebounding proved to be key, too. Although the Wolves had plenty of success on offense, the second unit grew the lead with Embiid resting.
Embiid hit a jumper to push the Sixers' lead to 11 with under six minutes to play. Maxey tacked on with an and-one layup that really fired him up. Edwards conquered Mount Embiid with an and-one layup but seemed to tweak his ankle on the landing. He stayed in the game and kept shooting, though the Embiid-Maxey two-man game helped Philly stay ahead. A smooth Maxey layup brought in the backups for Minny.
Embiid missed hs change to get 50 after making just one of two foul shots…and then Reed got the board, gave it back and he hit a jumper with a shooter's bounce. When you’re that good, you’re that good.
Random rumblings:
- I'm waiving my typical disapproval of teams wearing their alternate uniforms on the road for these Timberwolves throwbacks. Absolutely beautiful. Contrasted with the Sixers' City Edition threads, this was perhaps the best uniform matchup of the season.
The Sixers will face the Toronto Raptors on Friday before embarking on a road trip.
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