Philadelphia 76ers (31-26) beat Minnesota Timberwolves (35-23) 135-108 on the road on Sunday, February 22. The final margin was 27 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The 76ers struck first, taking the opening quarter 35-26 and a 9-point lead after one. The 76ers kept the pressure on with a 33-32 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The 76ers won the third 26-20 to create some separation, taking a 16-point lead into the fourth. The 76ers took the fourth 41-30; the 76ers finished the job for a 135-108 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The 76ers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9.4% of possessions compared with 19.8% for the Timberwolves. The 76ers got more from their shots, finishing at 62.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 54.9% for the Timberwolves. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Timberwolves did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 42.3 against 14.4. The 76ers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the 76ers produced 130.4 points per 100 possessions to 104.3 for the Timberwolves.
Who stood out
Tyrese Maxey was the game's biggest individual force for PHI: 39 pts, 3 reb, 8 ast on 16-28 shooting. His Game Score of 28.8 led everyone. His team was +21 with him on the floor.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 28 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast on 11-19 shooting, good for a 19.9 Game Score.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The 76ers entered with about a 22% chance.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Minnesota Timberwolves lead 2-0.
The 76ers are now 31-26, and the Timberwolves are 35-23. The 76ers last five before this game: W-L-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.