Sixers dominate Minnesota Timberwolves to complete 4-1 road trip

MINNEAPOLIS — Joel Embiid was the first 76er to greet Tyrese Maxey as he walked back to the bench after hitting pull-up three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, as if the All-Star big man knew Maxey’s flurry meant he could rest for the remainder of the night.

Embiid had already propelled the Sixers to a comfortable lead against the Timberwolves by racking up 39 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. But Maxey finished the job with his shot-making, which quelled any hope of a Minnesota rally in a 117-94 Sixers victory Tuesday night at the Target Center — which was played without star guard James Harden — to wrap a grueling road trip in dominant fashion.

“That was huge,” Embiid said of Maxey after the game. “Obviously, I didn’t want to go back in the game, so I was hoping that we kept the lead or we built the lead. He made some timely shots, some big-time shots.”

The Sixers (43-22) went 4-1 during their first trip of a travel-heavy March, playing five games in seven nights including two back-to-backs. They also topped the Miami Heat (without Embiid), Milwaukee Bucks (without starters Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker in the second half) and Indiana Pacers (without Tucker and Harris), but fell to the Dallas Mavericks.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ James Harden out for Tuesday’s game against Minnesota Timberwolves with foot soreness; Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker to return

They turned up their defense to outscore Minnesota, 34-18, in the second quarter, creating a 13-point halftime lead. That advantage grew to 70-50 when Embiid scored 12 consecutive points to begin the third quarter — and celebrated by holding an exaggerated follow-through after one three-point make as Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called timeout.

Minnesota staged a mini rally at the start of the final period, when a Naz Reid layup at the 10-minute, 49-second mark cut the Sixers’ lead to 87-72. But then Maxey, who finished with 27 points, four rebounds, and five assists, drew a foul on a drive and hit the free throws. Then, he buried a step-back three-pointer. He then found Georges Niang for a corner three. Maxey hit another shot beyond the arc to extend the advantage to 98-74.

“Once I got subbed back in, I kind of knew I was going to have to try to get in the paint and make plays for others and myself,” Maxey said. “I think we kind of found some matchups space-wise that we liked, and [I] tried to get downhill and get to the paint.”

Harris added 10 points, a season-high 14 rebounds, four assists, and four steals in his return from a one-game absence with a calf bruise. Anthony Edwards scored 15 of his 32 points in the first quarter for the Timberwolves (34-33), but no other Minnesota player totaled more than 13 on a night when they shot 39.5% from the floor and were outrebounded, 54-34.

It was a sharp turnaround for a Sixers defense that surrendered 143 points against the Pacers the previous night. Harris highlighted an uptick in physicality, allowing his team to switch on more screens, while coach Doc Rivers noted the Sixers did a better job of containing ballhandlers and keeping them out of the paint.

“After the first quarter, defensively, we were really locked in,” Rivers said. “I thought the second and third quarter, our defense kind of spurred our offense. … I thought that was the difference in the game.”

The Sixers will next play two consecutive home games against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Tuesday’s outing matched a supremely skilled big man in Embiid against the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. And Embiid steadily surged into his latest dominant performance — one Edwards said was worthy of winning MVP — while Gobert finished with six points on 2-of-6 shooting (0-for-4 after the first five minutes), nine rebounds, and one block.

Embiid said he was surprised the Timberwolves did not double-team him more often because, “if you don’t, I usually like to take advantage of that.” He feasted from the perimeter, going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc as part of a broader effort to shoot more three-pointers that he first vocalized following Saturday’s victory at Milwaukee.

And when asked if he relishes matchups with big men such as Gobert, Embiid responded with “Not necessarily.”

“I take pride every single time I step on the floor, no matter who’s guarding,” Embiid said. “I feel like I’m unguardable. So any big, I probably like that matchup every single time. I kind want to show that it’s not easy to guard me.”

That individual showdown surfaced early, when, after Gobert scored inside, Embiid hit a jumper over him on consecutive possessions. Embiid made four of his first five shots, while Gobert totaled six points, five rebounds, and two assists in the opening frame.

But Embiid caught fire in the second quarter, sinking a jumper out of a timeout over Gobert and hitting two three-pointers — including a deep step-back with 7.1 seconds remaining before the half.

“Usually, that’s the perfect time to make a run.”

Then came his third-quarter outburst. And after the Timberwolves cut the Sixers’ lead to 13 late in the frame, Embiid answered with a spinning finish through contact. Later, he hit a pull-up jumper and sank a technical free throw to give the Sixers their largest lead to that point, at 87-65.

With Harden sitting out the second night of the back-to-back to rest a sore foot, the Sixers turned to what Rivers called “team passing.” This was especially crucial the night after Harden amassed 20 assists against the Pacers.

Maxey, Milton, and Embiid each had at least four assists, with Embiid playing “point center” on certain sets. Seven of those helpers from Maxey and Milton — who evenly split 10 assists — came in the second half, when the Sixers’ offense scored 59 points.

“Without [Harden], we don’t have a point guard,” Rivers said. “So the passes [had] to be ‘just make the simple pass,’ and I thought we did that overall.”

Yet Maxey also remained an aggressive scorer. He started 3-of-7 from the floor, but put his burst to the bucket on display during the second quarter, sank a three-pointer that put the Sixers up 20 in the third period and then went on his charge in the final frame. He made four of his six shots, including all three of his long-range attempts, in the second half.

New Sixer Jalen McDaniels downplayed the latest matchup against brother Jaden, a starter for the Timberwolves, noting that they rarely share the floor when their teams face off.

That was the case again Tuesday. With Harris and Tucker both back from injury, Jalen returned to his reserve role with the Sixers and finished with five points and five rebounds. Jaden, meanwhile, had three points on 1-of-6 shooting, three rebounds and three blocks.

» READ MORE: Sixers vs. Pacers takeaways: Harden vindicated, McDaniels’ adaptability, Maxey’s spark-plug role