Philadelphia 76ers 95
Minnesota Timberwolves 100
In their seventh try, the Minnesota Timberwolves claimed their first home court victory of the 2015-16 NBA season, downing the 76ers 100-95 at Target Center Monday night.
1. Wolves get off the schneid, Sixers don’t
Somebody’s zero had to disappear by the end of this one. The Timberwolves were 0-6 in their home games this season, but the 76ers were winless in all of their games. This loss pushes Philadelphia’s record to 0-15. The Wolves, thanks to their road success, stand at 6-8.
The matchup stirred an uneasy feeling of deja vu for some Minnesotans because the 76ers have been down this road before. A year ago they came into Target Center 0-17 and left with their first win of the season.
2. Wiggins takes over in the 4th
Andrew Wiggins had a game-high 32 points, and 17 of them came during the fourth quarter.
Wiggins was part of a lineup shuffle coach Sam Mitchell made with an eye toward boosting the offense (“We can’t score,” he’d said after the Wolves’ Friday night loss). So Kevin Martin became a starter at the shooting guard position, with Wiggins moving to small forward and Tayshaun Prince coming off the bench.
Martin and Wiggins both figured in one of the game’s most striking plays, when Martin had a shot blocked but Wiggins, who was trailing the play, turned it into a slam dunk.
Andrew Wiggins with the big dunk after Jerami Grant blocks the first dunk!#Twolves https://t.co/pVb2LpuI0o
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) November 24, 2015
3. KG wakes them up for the second half
The Timberwolves were trailing the Sixers at halftime. But Minnesota scored the first 10 points after the break, with Kevin Garnett contributing three straight hoops.
Garnett finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds. Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine each scored a dozen for Minnesota, while Martin added 11 and Ricky Rubio had 11 assists. Jahlil Okafor led Philadelphia with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Tweet of the night
“Yet again” is not a favorable phrase.
RECAP: #Sixers Lose Yet Again, Fall To #Timberwolves 100-95 | https://t.co/sa97nUORRj
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) November 24, 2015
Up next
The Timberwolves will aim for another home court win on Wednesday night, when the Atlanta Hawks visit Minneapolis.
