Embiid scores 28 in return as Sixers top Wolves
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (21), of Cameroon, and Dario Saric (9), of Croatia, go for rebound against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler (23) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)
MINNEAPOLIS — Joel Embiid returned to the lineup to score 28 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers topped the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-112 in overtime on Tuesday night.
Embiid, back in action after missing two games with back tightness, hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining to force overtime. He then scored seven points in the extra session, including a 3-pointer that gave Philadelphia a seven-point lead in the final two minutes.
J.J. Redick scored 24 points and was a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line for the Sixers, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Jimmy Butler led Minnesota with a season-high 38 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of regulation.
Embiid got the better of Karl-Anthony Towns as the talented 7-footers battled down low all night. Towns had 17 points and 15 rebounds, his 22nd double-double of the season.
Butler had 17 fourth-quarter points and helped the Timberwolves build a seven-point lead early in the period. But his late heroics weren’t enough.
Minnesota shot just 5-for-29 from 3-point range. Andrew Wiggins hit 8 of 24 shots overall and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.
Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau used just three reserves despite visible fatigue from his starting five. Towns and Butler each topped 40 minutes in regulation.
TIP-INS
76ers: Ben Simmons, who entered averaging 18 points per game, didn’t score his first points until 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter on a dunk. He finished with seven points. … The Sixers had a season-high 26 turnovers. Their previous high was 22 on Nov. 7 against Utah.
Timberwolves: Forward Nemanja Bjelica missed his 10th straight game with a foot injury. … Minnesota committed just nine turnovers and fell to 5-10 when committing fewer than 15 turnovers in a game. The Wolves are 11-2 when turning the ball over 15 or more times.
UP NEXT
76ers: At Oklahoma City on Friday.
Timberwolves: Home against Sacramento on Thursday.
