2 studs, 1 dud from Timberwolves’ win at 76ers

The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up another huge win on Saturday night, taking down the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers on the road to secure their third straight win away from home, and bring their overall record back to .500.

It was the first time Minnesota has strung together more than two wins in a row this season, and winning their last three on the road shows just how far this team has come in a month’s time. The 76ers came into Saturday’s contest fresh off a Friday night win against the 11-3 Milwaukee Bucks, and they were hitting on all cylinders as a team.

After going into Cleveland and Orlando and getting big wins last week, the Timberwolves were up to the challenge the 76ers presented. Philadelphia got big performances from Shake Milton and Joel Embiid, but Minnesota held the Sixers’ All-Star big man to just six made shots. Their team defense has made major strides.

While there’s still a long way to go for this group, stringing together several wins in a row on the road is an excellent illustration of how they’re becoming more consistent. Out of all the good and bad performances from Saturday, let’s look at two studs and one dud on the Timberwolves’ side of things.

Stud: Anthony Edwards

The biggest performer of the game for Minnesota was Anthony Edwards, without a doubt. He put up a team-high 25 points, to go along with five rebounds and five assists. He also nailed both free throws at the end of the game to put the Wolves up three and seal the win.

It was the third time this season Edwards has scored at least 25 points in consecutive games. While he still needs to work on consistently performing at this level, it’s safe to say he is figuring it out to a degree. His scoring average this season is up to 22.1 points per game, a career high.

One of the only critiques you can give to this outing from Edwards would be his scoring efficiency. He shot just 7-for-21, but in typical Anthony Edwards fashion, he kept his head in the game and didn’t let it affect his confidence.

Much had been made over this last week of Edwards not passing the ball to Rudy Gobert in the pick-and-roll. It was clear that he made more of an effort to find his All-Star Center on Saturday, throwing a lob up to him midway through the third quarter. The more Edwards can operate efficiently with Gobert on the floor, the more he’ll thrive this season.

Dud: Karl-Anthony Towns

It was a rare down night for Karl-Anthony Towns. Playing against Joel Embiid, Towns struggled to score the ball, shooting 5-for-14 from the floor. This was only the fifth game this season that Towns has failed to score at least 20 points.

The biggest reason why Towns got the nod for dud here is that he went scoreless in the second half, logging all of his 12 points in the first half of play. In the first half, he got off good looks from three and was actively involved in pick-and-roll. In the second half, he didn’t have nearly as quick a trigger on his shot, and took a backseat offensively to Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell.

It didn’t help that the 76ers were steadily mounting a second half comeback as well. This was a game where the Timberwolves could have used a quick scoring punch or two from Towns down the stretch. As one of the most versatile big men in the NBA, he has to make his impact felt as often as possible.

We’ve still seen a limited amount of games where both Towns and Gobert have had big outings, but it’s all part of the process. However, the more Towns can limit these types of nights, the better.

Stud: D’Angelo Russell

As much as he has been scrutinized by Timberwolves fans this season, credit has to be given to D’Angelo Russell where it’s due. On Saturday night, he looked like the point guard the Timberwolves need him to be.

While it wasn’t a career night, Russell looked much more like the player we’ve been accustomed to watching over the majority of his career. Finishing with 19 points and seven assists on 54% shooting, it was Russell playing his role to a tee that paved the way for Minnesota to come out of this one with the win.

Coming out of halftime, it was Russell’s quick decision-making on offense that gave the Timberwolves a spark when the 76ers were trying to close the gap. After gathering a loose ball a few minutes into the third quarter, Russell used a Rudy Gobert screen and pulled up for a three-pointer, hitting nothing but the bottom of the net.

The next trip down the floor, Russell watched as Gobert screened De’Anthony Melton, then got around the screen and put up another three without a second thought, again finding the bottom of the bucket.

As rudimentary as it might sound, the Timberwolves are a significantly better team when D’Angelo Russell is hitting his shots. His play will continue to be crucial to the success of this team.