On December 21, Beijing time, the Western leader Timberwolves challenged the 76ers away. At the beginning of the first quarter, the Timberwolves started the game 8-0 with the main anti-away game, and the 76ers quickly relied on Embiid to make eight consecutive inside kills and make eight free throws to overtake the score. At the end of the quarter, Beverley and Mo Jr. fired consecutive outside shots, and the 76ers led by 4 points into the second quarter.
In the second quarter of the game, Downs scored 12 points on all four shots, and Maxey scored 17 points alone. The quarter was tied at 36, with the 76ers leading the Timberwolves 64-60, with Embiid and Maxey both scoring 20 points.
In the second half, the Timberwolves took the lead in a 13-0 start to occupy the initiative on the court. But soon Embiid showed the offensive firepower of the scoring champion, scoring 19 points in a single quarter to help the 76ers regain the lead. At the end of the third quarter, the 76ers led by three points.
In the final quarter, the Timberwolves suddenly collapsed and fell into a scoring drought, and the 76ers took advantage of the situation under the leadership of Maxey and Embiid to extend the advantage to double digits. Although Naz Reed continued to contribute dunks to narrow the difference, the 76ers balanced offense and defense as a whole and successfully maintained the advantage until the end. In the end, the 76ers defeated the Timberwolves 127-113.
Anthony Edwards 27 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists;Karl Anthony Towns 23 points and 13 rebounds;Naz Reid 10 points;Mike Conley 9 points and 4 assists;Jayden McDaniels 21 points;Rudy Gobert had 8 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals.
Joel Embiid 51 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals;Tyrese Maxey 35 points and 5 assists;Tobias Harris had 9 points and 5 rebounds;Paul Reed had 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.
Timberwolves: Jalen Clark is sidelined with a torn right Achilles tendon.
76ers: Danthony Melton exits game with left thigh contusion;Nicholas Batum is out with a right leg injury;Robert Covington is out sick.
After the game, 76ers player Tyres Maxey spoke to teammate Joel Embiid about the performance.
Joel Embiid is dominant, he's been taking over the game, he's very aggressive. Tyres-Maxi said in an interview.
We need Embiid to keep playing like that. ”
When Embiid gets the ball, the opponent has to shrink the defense so that Embiid can split the ball. ”
His ability to read the game is great, he knows when to score and when to pass, which has been very helpful for us. ”
Embiid scored 51 points