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Timberwolves cruise against 76ers, as expected and therefore not as usua<strong>l</strong>

Jerry Zgoda, The Minnesota Star Tribune on

Published in Basketball

MINNEAPOLIS — After Saturday at Phoenix produced a game they rightly should have won, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards admitted he still too often plays to the level of his opponent, good or bad.

On Tuesday, Edwards scored all 18 of his points in the first half and his team defeated Philadelphia 126-112, rolling a 76ers team that had lost 10 of its past 11 games.

The Wolves trailed by as many as six points and led by as many as 23, including 122-99 before coach Chris Finch cleared his bench late in the fourth quarter.

Naz Reid led the Wolves with 23 points; Quentin Grimes led the 76ers with 30.

Edwards took just two shots after halftime.

The Sixers arrived at Target Center on a losing spell that included a nine-game losing streak that ended inexplicably two games earlier against a Golden State team revived by acquiring former Wolves player Jimmy Butler in a trade-deadline deal.

The Wolves beat a struggling opponent by 14 points, this time seizing an opportunity to win when they’ve kicked those away this season against teams such as Washington and Portland.

Most recently was Friday’s 117-116 loss at Utah.

Before Tuesday’s game, Finch also admitted that Edwards often plays to the level of his opponent.

Finch said Edwards has taken a step to resolve that issue.

 

“The first thing is the recognition of it,” Finch said.

Finch noted his best player is a big-time player.

“He loves the moment, he loves the big games,” Finch said. “He loves the spotlight and all that. But an area of growth is that consistency, no matter who you’re playing. We talked about it coming into the season, about having 82 faceless opponents, and I don’t think we’ve done a great job of that. That tone is set by your best players and it has not been every time that he has not been ready to play.

“Just enough maybe affect the overall mood, but it’s just not him.”

The Wolves played on with the same lineup for the second consecutive game now that Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo are back healthy.

Their only regular still out injured is center Rudy Gobert, who remains out with what the team terms “lower back maintenance.”

The 76ers, meanwhile, played without 2003 NBA MVP and two-time scoring champ Joel Embiid, who is out for the season because of an injured knee. Out, too, was leading scorer Tyrese Maxey (26.3 ppg), who injured his back Monday against Portland.

Paul George did return to the starting lineup after he missed Monday’s game because of a groin injury and scored seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.

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©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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