Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves are on another three-game losing streak after a punchless loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Final. 118. 93. 94. 86
The Minnesota Timberwolves are still massively shorthanded, and Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers took advantage on Friday night.
Without Karl-Anthony Towns and his primary backup, Naz Reid, the Wolves were down to just Naz Reid at the center position. Embiid got whatever he wanted throughout the game, getting to the free throw line an incredible 18 times — the exact same number that the Wolves attempted as a team.
Minnesota’s offense was stuck in neutral all night. They shot just 42.7 percent as a team and 10-of-33 (30.3 percent) on 3-point attempts, although they started 2-of-16 from deep before they made a few threes with the game no longer in the balance.
The defense was solid for the Wolves until things unraveled in the second half, but the officials helped the Sixers keep pace with Minnesota early. As time ticked by, however, the 76ers wore the Wolves down, and the defensive resistance became less and less.
The Sixers pulled away in the third quarter with the Wolves unable to stop them and incapable of scoring with any regularity on their end of the floor.
The Wolves have now lost three straight and will look ahead to a home-and-home series against Cleveland on Sunday and Tuesday.
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades
B. Malik Beasley was the only consistent offense contributor on the Wolves, and even he started the game ice-cold. Ultimately, Beasley finished with 22 points (9-19 FG, 3-9 3P, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, and two assists. He played hard and continued to at least give effort on the defensive end into the second half, but unfortunately, he’s been about the only constant for the Wolves over the last week.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. MALIK BEASLEY
B. Anthony Edwards received his first career start and was mostly invisible until the game was well in-hand for the Sixers. Still, he was the team’s second-leading scorer with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Edwards was back to settling for semi-contested threes, making three of his seven attempts from long-range and only attempting two free throws on the night. The rookie also chipped in four rebounds and three assists.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS
Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. D'ANGELO RUSSELL. C. D’Angelo Russell returned after a three-game absence. He got to the free throw line with frequency early, making all seven of his attempts at the charity stripe. But he finished with only 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field, four assists, a steal, and zero rebounds. D’Lo played only 25 minutes; he was off the court for a long stretch in the first half and was removed early in the second half with the game out of hand.
JOSH OKOGIE. C. Josh Okogie was nearly invisible once again, tallying just four points on 2-of-3 shooting, two assists, and a single rebound in 18 minutes. He hasn’t been making his usual impact defensively of late, either.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves
ED DAVIS. B-. Ed Davis was the default starter at center without Towns and Reid, and he had a tall task in trying to slow down Joel Embiid. Davis held his own early, but then the whistles began chirping and Ed was in foul trouble in short order. He finished with two points, eight rebounds, and an assist, plus five personal fouls in 23 minutes.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves
Jarred Vanderbilt came off the bench in this one and was solid, making all five of his field goal attempts from the field en route to 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. He had three turnovers, including back-to-back miscues early in the game that were particularly unsightly. Overall, however, he was one of the Wolves’ best players in this one and continues to make a case for regular rotation minutes even once the team returns to something resembling full health.. Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRED VANDERBILT. B+
D. Ricky Rubio had yet another miserable performance, racking up four turnovers to go along with four points and four assists in 18 minutes. This doesn’t look anything like Utah Ricky, Phoenix Ricky, or Young Wolves Ricky, and it’s impossible to justify his playing time over Jordan McLaughlin when he’s playing this poorly.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. RICKY RUBIO
Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. JADEN MCDANIELS. B+. Jaden McDaniels had another strong game, finishing with six points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. He shot 3-of-8 and also chipped in a block, although he committed five fouls in a short period of time. Still, McDaniels’ defensive activity and acumen have been a pleasant surprise, and the offensive potential remains tantalizing.
JAYLEN NOWELL. B-. <p>Jaylen Nowell finally cracked the rotation, earning minutes in the first quarter and a total of 23 minutes on the night. The second-year wing scored 10 points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3P, 3-4 FT) and also had a single rebound, a single assist, and a block. He wasn’t very involved in the offense early and didn’t attempt a 3-pointer until the second half, but went into launch mode in garbage time. He needs to continue getting opportunities for this team moving forward so that Wolves brass can get a better idea of what they have in Nowell.</p>. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Jake Layman was in the rotation once again, putting up six points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. His 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc was nice to see, but consistency remains an issue for Layman.
Jordan McLaughlin fell out of the rotation upon Russell’s return, and he only saw the floor for four minutes of clock late in the fourth quarter.
Next. It's time for the Wolves to give Jaylen Nowell minutes. dark
Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves are off on Saturday before hosting the surprising Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday evening at Target Center.