Noel to play against Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS -- 76ers power forward Nerlens Noel will play in Wednesday night's matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Sixers (0-17), however, will be without both of their reserve point guards, Tony Wroten and Alexey Shved.

Shved, a former Minnesota player, will not play in his homecoming due to a hip flexor.  Wroten, meanwhile, will miss his third consecutive game with a sprained right knee.

Noel returns after missing Monday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs with a right hip pointer. The rookie was expected to play in that game, but was a late scratch.

He is averaging 7.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.57 steals and 1.29 blocks on the season. However, Noel has scored in double-figures in four of his past six games and is averaging 9.7 points while shooting 58 percent during that stretch.  The 20-year-old leads all rookies in rebounding, steals, blocks and field-goal percentage (47.6 percent).

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