PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers walked away with a statement victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. The Sixers beat the team with the best record and best defense in the league, 127-113.
The Wolves feature elite defenders Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. Even Karl-Anthony Towns has taken steps as a defender. Throw in Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and it’s understandable that Minnesota has the No. 1 defense.
Joel Embiid didn’t care. The reigning league MVP dropped 51 points on 17-for-25 shooting while also grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the Sixers to the win.
“My brother was just texting me like, ‘I ain’t ever seen nothing like it.’ He’s unstoppable, man,” Edwards told reporters after the win. “I don’t see how they lose a game, honestly.”
To Edwards’ point, Embiid really made it look easy. To their credit, the Wolves played really solid defense. There just wasn’t much Minnesota could do once he got into his groove. The Sixers kept feeding him and he feasted on anything in front of him.
“I think we could’ve been a little more physical on him,” Towns said. “Just making tough shots. When you’re making shots like that consistently, mid-range was working for him. Got to the free-throw line a lot. It’s just — he’s a good player.”
No matter how one describes it, the performance from Embiid was very impressive; the Sixers’ leader continues to produce historic nights.
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