Wednesday night was a battle between giants, literally, as the Minnesota Timberwolves traveled into Philly to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. As Minnesota is off to their best start in franchise history, a road win over a talented Sixers squad on the road would solidify everyone’s belief. With a trio of All-NBA caliber seven-footers ready to duel, the Wolves faced a big test.
Joel Embiid is off to his own historic start to the season. Coming into Wednesday's matchup, the reigning MVP has scored more points than minutes he's played this year. That trend continued as Embiid dominated and powered Philly to an impressive 127-113 win over the West's best.
With that being said, let's dive into the epic battle between two NBA powerhouses.
Savvy Joel Embiid takes over
The Sixers superstar seemingly overwhelmed Minnesota at times throughout the night. Through three quarters, Embiid dropped an astounding 39 points. The NBA’s best third-quarter scorer went to another level, single-handedly carrying the 76ers offense. His scoring touch from the middle of the floor places so much pressure on a defense. In addition to his pure talent, his offensive intelligence might be outmatched in the league. With the awareness to attack out of position defenders and players reaching in on his face-ups, Embiid mustered an incredible 18 free throw attempts on the night.
With numerous And-1's, the Timberwolves looked helpless and perplexed by the fouls Embiid was able to draw.
In just 36 minutes, the Big Fella finished with an incredible 51 points on an unreal 17-of-25 shooting. Embiid's presence was felt all night long. Posting 12 rebounds and three assists along with his ridiculous scoring output, Minnesota didn't have an answer for him all night long. Constantly placing the Wolves' bigs into foul trouble, Embiid not only outplayed Minnesota, but limited Gobert to playing just 24 minutes on the night.
Jaden McDaniels emerges
The first half performance of Jaden McDaniels was potentially a sign of things to come in the future for the Timberwolves. McDaniels scored 19 first-half points, the most points in any half of his career. Fresh off an extension this past offseason, the Wolves are hoping to see the talented two-way player continue to assert himself on offense. McDaniels finished the game with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
McDaniels has struggled to stay healthy this season after dealing with a number of different ailments on the year. Even with how good Minnesota has played to begin the year, they may have another level to hit, especially on the offensive end. Last season, McDaniels averaged 12.1 points a night. Currently this season, Jaden's scoring is down to just 10.3 points despite shooting an encouraging 56.3 percent from the field.
As the Wolves look to improve offensively, manufacturing more touches and shot attempts for McDaniels might be a great place to start.
Towns and Edwards continue their hot streaks
Despite not getting the win, the Wolves proved they belong in the conversation of the NBA's best teams. The Timberwolves were fueled by Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns as they stayed tight with the Sixers. KAT finished with 23 points, marking the third time in his last four games to score 20-plus points. Towns' consistent efficiency continued Wednesday. On 9-of-14 shooting, Towns' candidacy for his fourth career All-Star bid continues to grow. In the 14-point loss, Towns was a +8, displaying his value on nights against the best teams in the league.
Edwards shined as well, finishing the contest with 27 points, seven boards and five assists. These stellar numbers are becoming more of a common occurrence for Edwards who has taken the step from an All-Star level player to a potential All-NBA caliber guard. Towns and Edwards consistent offensive output is essential for the Wolves who, for the first time all season, had three starters score 20-plus points on Wednesday night.
Luckily, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance to get back into the win column on Thursday as they host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Minnesota is the sole team in the NBA to have not lost back to back games at any point this season. A bounce back win may be on the horizon for Minnesota on the second night of a back-to-back. The Wolves now possess a 20-6 record and still have a firm hold of the one seed in the Western Conference.
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