The highly anticipated matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday Night ended with the Sixers outlasting the Wolves in overtime, 118-112. The Sixers were led by big man Joel Embiid, who posted a strong stat line of 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists in the win. J.J Redick also had a good night, adding 26 points while going a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. As a team, Philly shot 50 percent from the field, also proving to be a large factor in the tight win.
Butler puts up big numbers in loss
Minnesota was no pushover despite the tough loss to the Sixers.
The Timberwolves were lead by All-NBA forward Jimmy Butler, who potentially had the best game of his season after putting up a game-high 38 points, including 14 of those in the 4th quarter, making Butler the main reason why the T-Wolves were able to push the game into overtime.
While bested by his counterpart Embiid, center Karl Anthony-Towns had a solid game as well, scoring 19 while tallying 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. Butler and Anthony-Towns played almost 50 minutes a piece in the contest, and seemed winded in overtime. The 76ers kicked off overtime with 7 unanswered points, which would prove to be too large a deficit for the T-Wolves. Minnesota only played 8 players the whole game, with almost all of their starters logging 40+ minutes.
76ers turnovers almost cost them big
The story of the game for the 76ers would be overcoming their turnover struggle. While they bested the T-Wolves in almost every team statistical category, Philadelphia turned the ball over a season-high 26 times, allowing Minnesota to get 14 fast-break points and keep the game close. However, in crunch time, the 76ers pulled it together and had no turnovers in overtime in order to secure the win.
Wiggins unexpected shooting woes pivotal to T-Wolves' loss
Andrew Wiggins' struggle shooting the basketball also played a part in the Wolves' loss. Wiggins had been averaging 18 points on 44% shooting on the year, but struggled Tuesday vs. the 76ers from the field. He shot 33% from the field, including going 1-7 from behind the 3-point line.
With the win, the 76ers have an overall record of 14-13, the same record as the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and the New York Knicks, and currently sit 7th in the Eastern Conference standings. Minnesota fell to 16-12, good for 4th in the Western Conference, but only sit 1/2 a game ahead of the Denver Nuggets after their win over the Detroit Pistons last night.
