7:30 PM EST, TNT – Line: Timberwolves -2.5, Over/Under: 229.5
With the regular season winding down, positioning for the playoffs is reaching a fevered pitch, as the Philadelphia 76ers travel to the Twin Cities to meet the surging Minnesota Timberwolves in what is sure to be an entertaining affair from Target Center in Minneapolis. With eighteen games left on the schedule, the 76ers (42-22, 3rd in Eastern Conference) find themselves in an odd position within the East hierarchy as they currently sit two games behind the (reigning conference champion) Celtics, while 2.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers, creating an intriguing fate for Philadelphia. Do they continue to push for the second seed and overtake Boston in the event of a potential encounter in the East Semifinals, or do they look to avoid a confrontation with a team that they are winless against this season? In three meetings with the Celtics, they have struggled on the offensive end, scoring just 107.7 points on 46.4% shooting, including 34.8% from beyond the arc, where they’ve been outscored by an average margin of 15.0 points, while also getting hammered on the glass (-4.6), and dishing out only 18.3 assists, which is by far and away their fewest against any single opponent. Furthermore, they’re 17-6 over they’re last twenty-three games, though two of those defeats have come at the hands of Boston. Make no mistake, there is no team under more pressure to succeed in the postseason than the Sixers, who have quite a bit riding on the outcome of this campaign. In one corner, we have (perennial MVP candidate) Joel Embiid (pictured above), who a year after leading the NBA in scoring has been even better, posting career-highs in several categories, including points (33.2) and field goal percentage (53.5%). However, the big fella has suffered untimely injuries in each of the last two playoff runs, and though he has been largely healthy this season (thirteen games missed), his history is what it is; suffering a sprained thumb and an orbital fracture against the Raptors in last year’s First Round encounter, the seven-footer was clearly hindered in Philly’s ousting at the hands of the Heat. In another corner is (Head Coach) Doc Rivers, who despite being one of just six active coaches with an NBA championship to their credit, 1,085 career victories, and a place on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary list of the fifteen greatest coaches, remains under fire for his history of postseason debacles. Simply put, his time in the City of Brotherly Love has not helped him in this regard; hired after presiding over the Clippers’ epic bubble meltdown in the 2020 West Semifinals, the East’s number one seed would suffer that same fate against Atlanta in 2021, before getting eliminated by Miami last Summer. Do we feel that the 61-year-old’s failures have been unfairly magnified? Absolutely, but they’re still a stain on what is otherwise one of the best CVs in NBA history. In the third corner, we have (Head Executive) Daryl Morey, who after being hired after that aforementioned postseason debacle shook things up by pulling the strings on a gargantuan blockbuster, reuniting with (former MVP) James Harden, who he had previously built a contender around in Houston. Harden, who occupies the fourth and final corner of this pressurized square was acquired with the purpose of delivering a championship to a franchise that hasn’t tasted that glory since 1983. Granted, while teaming the bearded one with Embiid has been a boon to the television networks and has kept the team among the elite in the conference, it has yet to net the desired results in the postseason, where the three-time scoring champion has routinely failed to deliver; last year’s playoff run was NOT kind to Harden, who could muster just 18.6 points on 40.2% shooting from the field, with 8.6 assists and a troubling 4.2 turnovers to boot, with some particularly dreadful performances in the defeat to Miami further sullying his record. To his credit, the 33-year-old has been in much better shape this season, while refraining from signing a long-term deal so that Morey could further bolster the supporting cast around him. He’s also settled into the role of facilitator, leading the Association with 10.8 assists per game. With that said, there has been continuous rumors of him departing Philadelphia following any potential ill-fated conclusion to the campaign, heaping even more pressure on his broad shoulders. On the flipside, if they suffer another disaster this summer, do the Sixers even WANT him back? Indeed, there is a lot to unfold over the next few months for this franchise, who can rarely be accused of being boring. Winners of three of their last four games, we saw how good this group can be as they snapped the NBA’s longest win streak of the season (16), beating the Bucks in a thrilling 133-130 affair over the weekend, before narrowly avoiding a letdown at the Pacers, whom they erupted for a season-high 147 points against. Embiid and Harden were at their best in Milwaukee, combining for sixty-nine points on 22-of-48 shooting (45.8%), including 8-of-14 from downtown (57.1%) and 17-of-21 from the charity stripe (80.9%), along with fifteen rebounds and ten assists apiece. Rivers’ troops committed a season-low FIVE turnovers in this one, while getting to the line THIRTY-SEVEN times, netting thirty-one free-throws, which proved to be the slim advantage needed in such a close contest. Embiid would follow that performance forty-two points in last night’s 147-143 victory at Indiana, knocking down 11-of-16 attempts from the floor (68.8%) and all nineteen of his attempts from the free-throw line. It should be a joy to watch him match wits with Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert (much more on him shortly), with the two big fellas set for a heavyweight battle; in career meetings, he’s had some big hits and some sore misses against the towering Frenchman, winning five of eight encounters and averaging 22.7 points on 44.4% shooting, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 2.1 turnovers. When they locked horns earlier this season, a narrow 112-109 loss at Wells Fargo back in late November, Embiid totaled thirty-two points though the bulk of it came at the charity stripe, where he knocked down 18-of-20 attempts (90.0%), though offered as many turnovers as assists (6). From a betting perspective, the 76ers are 7-3 straight-up and 6-4 against the spread over their last ten games regardless of the venue, while matching those records in their last ten trips away from the City of Brotherly Love. Though being an underdog hasn’t been great to them of late (4-6 over their last ten such outings), they’ve certainly had the Wolves’ number, posting an 8-2 mark against them straight-up and against the spread over their last ten meetings, while covering the number in four of their last five ventures to Minneapolis. On the injury front, Rivers & Co could be without a pair of notable members of the rotation, as (veteran Forwards) Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker each missed the win over Indiana, with the former sidelined due to a bruised left calf, while the latter has been hampered by back spasms.
Meanwhile, after advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 2018, the Timberwolves (34-32, 6th in Western Conference) now have designs on making back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in nearly two decades. That’s right, folks, with sixteen games left in the regular season, Minnesota is sitting pretty at sixth in the standings, which is all-important because it grants them safety from participating in the play-in tournament where literally anything can happen. However, by no means is the job finished, for (Head Coach) Chris Finch’s troops are a mere half-game ahead of the Mavericks, as the Western Conference continues to feature a glut of clubs vying for their playoff lives, with just 3.5 games separating the fifth seed from the thirteenth. Of course, this team is familiar with that path, having qualified through that very means last April, setting up a spirited and entertaining series with the Grizzlies in which they ultimately met defeat in six games. And it’s with that said that “spirited and entertaining” is the appropriate way to describe the Wolves, who have been anything but dull over the last few seasons. Let’s start in 2020, where months after selecting (All-Star Guard) Anthony Edwards (pictured above) with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, they parted ways with (former Head Coach) Ryan Saunders midseason and hired Finch, though the hire was met with plenty of criticism around the Association due to the lack of consideration for minority candidates. Then, just three weeks before the beginning of the ensuing campaign, (former President of Basketball Operations) Gersson Rosas was relieved of his duties due to scandal and a fractured relationship with (General Manager) Sachin Gupta, though that wouldn’t keep Minnesota from getting into that aforementioned play-in. Fresh off said postseason return, Gupta initiated a blockbuster trade that nobody saw coming, acquiring the services of (three-time Defensive Player of the Year) Rudy Gobert in exchange for five rotational players and FIVE first round picks. Needless to say, the deal was met with PLENTY of criticism at the time for a variety of reasons, including the towering Frenchman’s fit alongside (All-Star Big Man) Karl-Anthony Towns, and the steep price paid for an elite defensive big who doesn’t offer anywhere close to the same assurances on the offensive end of the hardwood. Fascinating? Yes. Risky? Absolutely. So, how has this gambit turned out, you ask? Well, if we’re to hand out a grade for this experiment, then it is to be incomplete, for there have been THREE different versions of the Timberwolves this season, with each wildly different. The first iteration featured both Towns and Gobert in a rare twin towers scenario, in which the former offset the latter’s offensive deficiencies and vice versa. However, the duo lasted only twenty-one games before Towns was lost to a severe right calf strain that has kept him out for the last FORTY-FIVE games. The team was very much a mixed bag during this stretch as Finch and his coaching staff tried valiantly to make the fit between the two bigs work, though it was clear that something was amiss, as they yielded 116.0 points per game on 45.6% shooting from the field, including 37.3% from beyond the arc, while getting bested on the class (-0.6), and yielding 27.5 assists in comparison to forcing 14.6 turnovers. Granted, they did string together five-game win streak before Towns went down, forcing Finch & Co to shuffle the deck and field a more conventional lineup over the next thirty-eight games, which netted marginally better results; the Wolves went 20-18 during this run thanks to the offense picking up the pace, averaging 116.3 points on a stellar 49.8% shooting, including a much-improved 37.5% from downtown. It was here that Edwards really grew into his role as s star, posting 26.0 points on 46.7% shooting and 37.9% from three, with 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.9 steals. That group remained up until the trade deadline, where Gupta made one notable move in trading away (polarizing Guard) D’Angelo Russell in a three-team deal with the Lakers and Jazz in exchange for Gobert’s former Utah teammate, Mike Conley. Was this deal made to maximize the acquisition of the Frenchman or was it an admittance that things weren’t working out? The answer to both queries is yes, and that’s fine for the Timberwolves have begun to settle into a rhythm of late, riding a three-game win streak in which, they’ve climbed out of the play-in field. Over the last three outings, which includes come-from-behind victories over the Clippers (108-101), Lakers (110-102), and Kings (138-134), all of whom they’re in direct competition with out west, they’ve continued to their prolific growth offensively, scoring 118.7 points on a blistering 51.4% shooting overall and 43.4% from long-range, while handing out 27.3 assists in comparison to committing just 13.7 turnovers. Conly has been a steadying influence on the attack, with the 35-year-old averaging 11.1 points on 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, while committing just 1.1 turnovers along the way, with Gobert undoubtedly happy with the reunion, averaging 17.7 points on 67.7% shooting with 13.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks since the trade. When we last saw them, the Wolves closed out their road trip in style with a narrow 138-134 victory over the Kings, which featured arguably their most impressive offensive performance of the campaign to date. The visitors shot a scintillating 60.0% from the field, knocking down a bananas 20-of-39 triples (51.3%), while dishing out thirty-one assists opposed to committing just eleven turnovers. Seven different players scored in double-figures, with Edwards and Conley combining for fifty-one points on 17-of-32 shooting (), while other members of the supporting cast showed out with (Forwards) Jayden McDaniels and Kyle Anderson alongside (young Guard) Nickiel Alexander-Walker adding nineteen, eighteen, and sixteen points respectively. The question on everyone’s mind is that when Towns returns to action, will his presence set back the progress that they’ve made? Reports out of Minnesota claim that the three-time All-Star is expected to return by the middle of the month, with the last ten games serving as an opportunity to play himself back into game shape. From a betting perspective, the Wolves have won and covered each of their last three contests, though are just 5-5 straight-up and against the spread over their last ten outings at Target Center. Being a favorite hasn’t been kind to them, for they’ve covered the spread in just three over their last ten games when favored by the oddsmakers. Furthermore, Finch’s charges are 1-4 against the spread over their last five affairs as a home favorite between 0.5-4.5 points, while matching that record in their last five home games following a road trip consisting of seven or more days, which is the case tonight. On the flipside, they’ve covered five consecutive outings after allowing over 125 points in the previous contest, which is also the case in this matchup. On the injury front, we’ve covered Towns’ situation ad nauseum, though (backup Shooting Guard) Jaylen Nowell will miss his fifth straight game with what is being described as tendinitis in his left knee, though (Backup Point Guard) Austin Rivers is probable to return to action after missing the win over Sacramento with a strained neck, just in time for a reunion of his own with his father, Doc.