Fresh out of an exciting victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Sixers went to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves. It was not known whether Joel Embiid would be available after a bad fall against the Lakers, but as the warrior he is, it was announced that he would play minutes before the opening whistle. The Timberwolves, without their best player, Karl-Anthony Towns, came to this game with a 4-13 record, so the hope was that this game would not end. The Sixers had other ideas, however, and decided to make the game a lot tighter than it needed to be at first, before taking over later. That’s how it all happened.
1st quarter
The Sixers started the game by shooting 0 out of 7 from the field, because nothing is easy. Fortunately, the Timberwolves were just as bad and didn’t get a clue. Even Joel Embiid had a slow start, making 0 out of 5 on the field, but the team made a concerted effort to make a living on the free throw line. The team went to the line 13 times in the first quarter and got all the kicks right. Even with the slow start, Embiid still finished fourth with 11 points and 6 rebounds – just incredible. After a quarter, the game was tied at 25 per piece.
2nd Quarter
Some improved pitches from Philadelphia helped them win a bit of a break before the break, but Minnesota continued. Shake Milton suffered two fouls in the morning, so Tyrese Maxey took a few extra minutes and gave the team a much needed spark. The rookie hit 3 of 3 on the field for 6 points before Embiid came back and continued to dominate.
The shot didn’t fall for Embiid, so he forced his way to the free-throw line, making 12 of 12 on his journey to 21 points in the first half. The 12 free throws have been more than any player in a half so far this season across the NBA. Ben Simmons increased the fun by showing a little extra aggression and reaching the limit, which helped the Sixers reach the break by 53-48.
3rd Quarter
Whatever Doc Rivers said to the team at the break worked, because the Sixers looked like a completely different team to start the second half. After shooting below 30 percent in the first half, the team could not miss in the third quarter. Seth Curry went into action with two points out of 3, Joel Embiid continued to dominate, shooting 6 out of 7 in the fourth to 16 points, and all in all for the team leading by a much wider margin of 14 points. For simplicity, Sixers looked like a top team from the Eastern Conference in the third quarter. Everyone did their part.
4th Quarter
There wasn’t much going on in the fourth period, which for Sixers fans is great! The team did not waste the advantage and gave Joel Embiid a well-deserved rest. Matisse Thybulle continued to play incredible defense and Tobias Harris sent Jaden McDaniels to the Shadow Realm. So much fun!
The final score has the Sixers beating this one by 118-94. Joel Embiid led all scorers with 37 points and 11 rebounds in just 27 minutes. The next is an encounter with the Indiana Pacers on the road on Sunday night.