Despite a setback on Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers remain one of the hottest teams in the league.
While the Sixers fell 108-104 to the Bulls, they’ve won six of seven. And the Sixers will look to start a new winning streak when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Joel Embiid continued to perform at a level worthy of the reigning Most Valuable Player with 40 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots. It was the 11th consecutive game for Embiid with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey added 29 points for the Sixers, who only received a combined 12 points from their other three starters — Nicolas Batum, De’Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris.
After being relatively dominant over the previous six victories, the Sixers scuffled at times against the undermanned Bulls, who won without star guard Zach LaVine.
The offense looked out of sync for large stretches until the fourth quarter, when the Sixers put up 35 points.
The Timberwolves will look for their fourth straight victory when they battle the Sixers.
Anthony Edwards scored 32 points to lead five players in double figures as the Timberwolves defeated the Miami Heat 112-108 on Monday.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 18, Naz Reid scored 15 off the bench, Mike Conley had 12 and Jaden McDaniels 10.
The win propelled Western Conference-leading Minnesota to a 20-5 record, its best start through 25 games in franchise history. The 2001-02 Timberwolves began 17-8.
Even when they weren’t executing offensively, the Timberwolves relied on their suffocating defense.
Minnesota allowed just 42 points to the Heat in the second half. It was enough to allow the Timberwolves to rally after a tough start.
Edwards also made enough shots throughout to carry the team once again. That has been a consistent theme through 25 games for Edwards, who is averaging a team-leading 24.6 points per game.
