By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Joel Embiid was just too much to handle for the Minnesota Timberwolves and steered the Philadelphia 76ers to a 127-113 victory last December 21, 2023, in the ongoing NBA regular season.
In just 36 minutes of playing action, the superstar center dominated the Timberwolves with 51 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
Embiid was again efficient from the field and finished the win with a 17/25 shooting from the field including 17/18 from the free throw line.
The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) overpowered the big man duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, schooling them in every possession once he held the basketball.
From the get-go, Philadelphia already went to Embiid and he delivered right away when he put Gobert into foul trouble.
Embiid only attempted a single shot from the three-point territory and generated most of his buckets from the shaded lane and the perimeter.
It was still anybody’s ball game after three tightly contested quarters but the 76ers pulled away in the final frame when they outscored the Timberwolves, 37-26.
Backstopping Embiid was Tyrese Maxey who contributed 35 big points built from 12/24 shooting from the field. He shot a perfect 6/6 from the free throw line and made an impact when he drained most of his attempts when driving down the lane.
Both Embiid and Maxey were the only players to reach double digits in scoring for the 76ers as the rest of their team combined for 41 points.
On the other hand, Minnesota had 27 from Anthony Edwards, 23 from Towns, and 21 from Jaden McDaniels but their load of offense wasn’t enough to match Embiid’s brilliance down the block.
The 76ers will look to maintain their fine form on December 23, 2023, as they square off against Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors.
