PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers battled the Minnesota Timberwolves while severely short-handed on Saturday. They were down three starters: James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris are dealing with injuries. They were also without Furkan Korkmaz.
Therefore, the Sixers put a ton of pressure on Shake Milton and De’Anthony Melton to provide ball-handling and run the offense. Those two had to provide some of what the team lost with Harden and Maxey.
Both responded. Milton poured in 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting and he also had six rebounds. Melton had 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals in a 112-109 loss to the Wolves at home.
Minnesota star D’Angelo Russell had 19 points on the night, and he gave his respect to both Milton and Melton for filling in for Maxey.
“They were good,” said Russell. “They came in and took advantage of what was going on. A lot of guys are in and out and not available tonight, so I think they did a helluva job.”
[lawrence-related id=71180]
It’s nights like these where the Sixers have to be thankful for their depth. While it would be nice to have Korkmaz to help with the ball handling, Philadelphia can rely on Milton and Melton to provide out on the floor.
“It’s what NBA is about though,” Russell added. “Next guy, rotation, next guy step up, confidence and things like that. Doc’s (Rivers) a coach and plays off that. So, it’s good for them.”
With two days off before their next matchup, the Sixers hope to have a few guys back in the lineup to help ease the pain of losing Maxey and Harden.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=71173]
[lawrence-related id=71180,71177,71170]