Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards dribbles against the Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele in the second quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on March 4, 2025. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves saved their best for the final quarter.
The Wolves put an ugly 36 minutes behind them and used a fourth-quarter surge to put away the extremely short-handed Philadelphia 76ers in a 126-112 victory Tuesday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. It wasn't pretty for much of the game despite the 76ers missing Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as well as a slew of other contributors out due to injuries.
Much of the game was mired in turnovers, missed shots and some ugly play from the Wolves (34-29). They started the game off with 11 turnovers in the first quarter and finished with 19 for the game. And despite taking a double-digit lead when the shots started falling in the second quarter, the Wolves let the 76ers (21-40) close the half on a 23-14 run. They only led by four at the break were only up going into the fourth thanks to a half-court buzzer beater from Mike Conley.
Perhaps Minnesota was just saving it all for the fourth quarter. The ball security was there -- the Wolves only had one turnover in the final frame. The shots were falling, and Naz Reid, who scored a team-high 23 points, was knocking down 3-pointers as he was able to escape his slump. Reid shot 9 for 18 from the field, including 5 of 10 from 3.
The Wolves opened the fourth quarter on an 18-7 run and never looked back from there. And they got a little offense from everyone. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was huge off the bench with 20 points, three rebounds and three assists. Anthony Edwards, who briefly exited the game in the first quarter after appearing to injure his hand, scored 18 points, all in the first half, and recorded five rebounds and one assist. Jaden McDaniels had 17 points, three boards and a pair of assists.
The Wolves outscored the 76ers 43-32 in the final frame.
Julius Randle, in his second game back after a lengthy absence due to a groin injury, once again looked like he hasn't missed a beat. Randle finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 5 for 9 from the field. Donte DiVincenzo knocked down four 3s to finish with 12 points and eight assists. Conley was a hop, skip and a jump away from a triple-double, posting 12 points, seven boards and six dimes. It wasn't pretty, but they got something from everyone.
Quentin Grimes was keeping the 76ers in it for a while, scoring a game-high 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 24 points. Paul George struggled mightily, finishing with just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.
It's a quick turnaround for the Wolves, who visit the Charlotte Hornets for a 6 p.m. tipoff Wednesday night.