The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Game Preview – Philadelphia 76ers @ Minnesota Timberwolves

By Rich Martirez

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Philadelphia 76ers (0-14) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (5-8), 8:00pm, Target Center

As deflating as the most recent loss to the Miami Heat was, the Philadelphia 76ers have to have some hope from their efforts in that game. The 76ers lead for most of it, as the Heat came from behind to steal the game in the closing seconds. Dwyane Wade lead the Heat with 27 points and Justise Winslow got a crucial tip-in in the closing moments to seal the game.

For the Sixers, the bench showed up in a big way. Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington had huge games themselves, scoring 22 and 21 points, and Hollis Thompson and JaKarr Sampson were +17 and +12 in +/- in their stints of the court. Isaiah was especially useful in building the lead that the Sixers had in the second and third quarters, raining in three pointers that the Heat could not keep up with. Unfortunately the Sixers couldn’t keep the gas on the pedal in the last few minutes of the game and the Heat snuck out with the win.

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The young pups from Minnesota are coming off two straight losses and are hungry to prove their worth against the winless 76ers. In their last game, Minnesota lost to the Detroit Pistons in an ugly game, where Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson led the Pistons to the win. Drummond also played a huge role on defense, helping contain the T’wolves to 42.9% shooting for the game, knowing that they couldn’t score from the outside, as evidenced further by the 23.1% shooting from 3-pt land.

What To Watch For

The matchup of the game comes down to Jahlil Okafor vs. Karl Anthony-Towns. The first two centers who were taken in the draft get to play their first game together to see which player will get the upper-hand in the Rookie of the Year voting. Currently, KAT is leading the rookies in rebounds per game, at 10.4, further impressing on the defensive front with 2.4 blocks per game as well.

At the same time, Okafor is leading in scoring with 17.9 points per game, which is the most essential stat for winning the award. Not only that, but context is key in that Okafor has been leading the 76ers as the lone offensive weapon, often carrying the team by himself, while KAT has Ricky Rubio to give him easy shots and Andrew Wiggins to provide more space to operate. Either rookie could put an early stamp on the race by putting up big numbers in this game.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers Generational Divide Narrative Lingers

Final Take

Many things have to happen in Philadelphia’s favor to get the win. The well-rested T’wolves must seek to correct the ship immediately, but are also a very young team. This means that the rest is not as important to them, as they can recover quicker, plus they could be overlooking this game and ahead to their matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, which would be much more difficult for them. Additionally, out of anyone Nerlens Noel can do a Drummond-lite act by protecting the paint, while the rest of the team closes out on Kevin Martin, the only shooting threat on Minnesota. Additionally, Jahlil has always had a ‘feeling for the moment’ and he knows that this game will go far in affecting his candidacy.

Prediction – Not only does Philly’s defense stifle Minny’s offense, but Jahlil goes for a big game, putting an emphasis on his case for Rookie of the Year. Oh, and first win of the year!

Where To Catch The Game

  • TCNPhilly is broadcasting the game.
  • 97.5 has the game on the radio.
  • NBA League Pass is available for anyone out of market or anyone who needs to stream