Sixers grades: After a monster win over Minnesota, we rate a performance to savor

Instant grades on the 76ers’ performance in their 127-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Joel Embiid, once again, showed why he’ll be remembered as one of the NBA’s all-time greats. The Sixers center finished with a season-high 51 points along with 12 rebounds, two steals and one block in 36 minutes and 8 seconds. In the process, he became the first Sixer with three straight games of 40-plus points and 10-plus rebounds since Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain in 1967.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid drops 51 points to power Sixers past West-leading Minnesota Timberwolves

The reigning MVP also extended his franchise record with his 41st career 40-10 game. He trails only Chamberlain (271) and Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor (78), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (65), Bob McAdoo (55) and Shaquille O’Neal (44).

The six-time All-Star also joins NBA Top 75 players James Harden, Damian Lillard, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo as active NBA players with at least seven 50-point games.

What’s particularly interesting is Embiid started slow, missing five of his first six shots. He started to find rhythm in the second quarter and took his game to another level in the third. That’s when Embiid scored 19 of his points on 8-for-10 shooting. His dunk on Naz Reid late in the quarter was nasty. This was a great game for the eighth-year veteran on many levels. It was how an MVP should play.

Paul Reed was solid as Embiid’s backup. He finished with a game-high three steals to go with a block. He also finished with eight points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes, 59 seconds. But his ability to always be in the right spot defensively stood out the most.

Tobias Harris was a little more aggressive than in the previous games. He was able to get to his desired spots on the floor. However, he still needs to maintain his aggressiveness for four quarters. But this was a start for Harris, who finished with nine points on 4-for-10 shooting.

Kelly Oubre Jr.’s best attribution while starting in place of the injured Nic Batum was hitting a three-pointer for the Sixers’ first made basket after starting 0-for-7. He had seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, which was an improvement over the last game. However, Oubre still struggled defensively.

Marcus Morris Sr. returned after missing Monday’s game with an illness. He was cleared to play 45 minutes before the game after not participating in the morning shootaround. But his illness didn’t impact his sharpshooting and spark off the bench. He also did a solid defending Timberwolves All-Star post player Karl-Anthony Towns.

Danuel House Jr. was active and brought energy while getting minutes for a second straight game in a reserve role. He misfired his lone shot attempt, but his defense made up for his lack of offensive production.

KJ Martin saw some rare rotation minutes in the third quarter due to the Sixers needing his strength and athleticism to guard Minnesota All-Star guard Anthony Edwards. Martin displayed competitiveness, mobility, and physicality. He also showed that can be dangerous in regards to finishing at the rim.

Tyrese Maxey did a solid job of scoring after getting into the paint and making five three-pointers while scoring 35 points. He was the perfect Robin to Embiid’s Batman against the Timberwolves. If there was a negative — it was his five turnovers, though his 35 points offset that. On this night, he looked like an All-Star starter.

De’Anthony Melton had four points, three rebounds and one assist while being a plus-7 in the first quarter. But he was relatively quiet after that before exiting the game in the second with a left thigh bruise.

Patrick Beverley was the quintessential energy guy. He was active, disruptive, all while hitting shots and even blocking one.