Some of the excitement around Wednesday night’s wire-to-wire 112-99 Timberwolves victory over the 76ers disappeared during the afternoon, when Philadelphia declared reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid out because of hip soreness.
But that just presented an opportunity for the Wolves, one they took advantage of to improve their perfect home record this season to 7-0 and remain in first place in the Western Conference.
The night wasn’t perfect. The Wolves (11-3) overcame some sluggishness in the second quarter, when they almost gave up all of a 19-point lead. But they got their act together in the second half to turn the game into a rout.
Anthony Edwards made sure the Embiid-less 76ers (10-5) didn’t sniff out an upset. He scored 31 points, 13 in the third quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker hounded budding 76ers standout Tyrese Maxey. Maxey scored 16 points on 7-for-19 shooting.
The Wolves started the night as if they were going to make it an easy one. They opened a 25-11 lead as Edwards went for 11 first-quarter points. The Wolves held Philadelphia to 36% shooting in the first quarter while shooting 60% themselves. Naz Reid hit his first three shots of the night, and the Wolves led by 19 points before carrying a 37-20 lead into the second quarter.
But when Edwards sat to start the quarter, the offense disappeared, and the Wolves let the 76ers back in the game. Philadelphia opened the second quarter with a 15-2 run over the first 5 minutes, 33 seconds to cut the Wolves’ lead to four. The Wolves finished the quarter with only 20 points on 7-for-24 shooting. Towns and Edwards accounted for five of those seven field goals.
The only positive for the Wolves was that their defense kept the 76ers from taking the lead, as Philadelphia shot only 8-for-20 from the field. The Wolves went into halftime with a 57-49 lead.
The third quarter belonged to Edwards. He opened with an 11-point burst that extended the Wolves’ lead back to 11. He had some help in the third, and it came from a pair of players who could have used a night like Wednesday to reignite their games.
Shake Milton had his most productive game as a Wolves player. He scored 12 points, eight in the third quarter, against his former team. Reid scored 13 points.
The Wolves got their act together in the fourth quarter and finished the game how they started it. They led by 21 points before coach Chris Finch emptied the bench with less than two minutes to play.