The Timberwolves-76ers matchup picked up the late slot on the Tuesday ESPN lineup, but might not have its full cast from Philadelphia’s side.
The Timberwolves are again likely to be without backup forward Nemanja Bjelica, who is slowly recovering from an ankle injury sustained in December, but the Timberwolves are otherwise healthy going into Tuesday’s matchup with the East Conference’s most exciting up-and-coming team.
The Sixers, on the other hand, have point guard T.J. McConnell, forward Robert Covington, and star center Joel Embiid – all regular starters – listed as game-time decisions, according to head coach Brett Brown at Tuesday morning shootaround.
If healthy, the matchup between Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns makes Tuesday’s game worth the watch, if past battles are any indicator.
They’re also still without No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, who has been out since the beginning of October with shoulder troubles.
But even with those injury problems, Sixers fans are feeling the same types of frustrated joy several Wolves fans feel this season.
Even with the injuries, the one-time “Trust the Process” cellar-dweller of the NBA sit at 13-13 on the season with real playoff aspirations. Joel Embiid’s rise to All-Star level contribution has happened quickly, J.J. Redick has provided spacing the team desperately needed, and perhaps most importantly, 2016 No.1 overall pick Ben Simmons is already a lock for Rookie of the Year.
Simmons is leading all rookies in scoring, assists, and rebounds, and is in the top six among qualified rookies in effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage.
Most importantly, the Sixers are succeeding with him running the point, and seem to finally be on an upward trajectory after years of struggle.
But the Sixers have struggled on a more immediate basis, too. They’ve lost their last four consecutive games, and six of their last eight overall.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, have a chance to win three straight games for the third time this season. They are fresh off a pair of wins against the lowly Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, both shorthanded in each team’s own right.
In those games, poor fourth quarters nearly lost them the game, as the Wolves continue to struggle with the worst fourth quarter net rating in the NBA. David Naylor wrote about that on Monday.
The two teams play each other at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the game will be broadcast on both FS North and ESPN.
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