PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥� Against another short-handed team, the Timberwolves again came up big on the road.
Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, D鈥橝ngelo Russell had 19 and the Minnesota Timberwolves survived a late scare and won their third straight game, 112-109 over the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
鈥淲e took a lot of bad shots, I definitely did, but we got the win, though,鈥� of a 7-of-21 effort.
The 76ers have already played without James Harden for two weeks because of a right foot tendon strain and they added starting guard with a broken left foot suffered Friday. P.J. Tucker suffered an unspecified injury against the Timberwolves and Joel Embiid injured his left ankle/foot following a late-game collision with a teammate.
Embiid, the reigning NBA scoring champion, said well after the final buzzer he was still in pain and he hobbled off the dais following his press conference.
鈥淗opefully, somehow it feels better, but we鈥檒l see,鈥� Embiid said.
Maxey and Harden averaged 20-plus points on the season, and their losses left Embiid to carry the load among a lineup that in one stretch included him, Danuel House Jr., De鈥橝nthony Melton, Shake Milton and Georges Niang.
鈥淣o one feels sorry for you. So I鈥檓 not going to feel sorry for us either,鈥� coach Doc Rivers said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to find a way to win. I know that sounds nuts. But we just have to. And we鈥檒l figure it out.鈥�
The 76ers need more time.
Embiid had 32 points, nine rebounds and made 18 of 20 free throws. Milton had 27 points and Melton 19.
Without two top scorers, the Timberwolves pounced early on the Sixers and stretched a winning streak with all three wins on the road. They won at Cleveland, Orlando and moved to .500 at 8-8.
The Magic played without rookie Paolo Banchero and center Wendell Carter Jr., their two leading rebounders and two of their top three scorers. Cleveland played without injured All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not in a position where we feel like we can afford any letdowns,鈥� Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just starting to play well ourselves.鈥�
Embiid gave the Sixers a scare with 5:33 left in the game when he tripped over fallen teammate Georges Niang and crumbled to the court. Embiid rolled his left ankle and lay on his back as he was checked out by a trainer.
Embiid hobbled to the bench but stayed in the game. He limped the rest of the game and hit the court again 鈥� on a steal and then he followed with a 3 that pulled the Sixers to 105-102.
Edwards buried a 3 that stretched the lead to six.
Melton, though, hit a 3 with 30 seconds left that inched the Sixers within one but he missed a driving layup in traffic on the next possession that was their best last-gasp effort to complete a comeback from 20 points.
Niang airballed a desperation 3 at the horn.
鈥淪ometimes the clock in your head goes faster than what you actually have,鈥� he said
Minnesota led by 15 points in the fourth and was outscored 19-7 over the final 8:46 of the game.
鈥淲e were able to hold on, make enough shots, make a couple of big plays to win a game like that,鈥� Finch said. 鈥淚t shouldn't have come down to that.鈥�
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Finch played at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he was an NCAA Division III All-American in 1991 and 1992. He played the same time the 76ers used to hold training camp at the college. 鈥淭eam of my youth but no longer,鈥� Finch said.
76ers: Tobias Harris (sore left hip) sat out.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host Miami on Monday night.
76ers: Welcome back former Sixer Ben Simmons when Brooklyn hits town Tuesday night.
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Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
