It felt like a footnote given the theatrics at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday, but the Sixers did indeed play and win a basketball game to improve to 4-0. Here are five observations from Philadelphia’s 117-95 victory over the Timberwolves.
1. Ding, ding
Until about the halfway mark of the third quarter, this game was a bit of a snoozer. The Sixers had been running a bland, post-up-based offense to exploit their size advantage against Minnesota. Their stifling defense made the Timberwolves’ offense look clunky and dull. The much-hyped Joel Embiid versus Karl-Anthony Towns matchup had been a bit of a disappointment, too, as the two stars often weren’t guarding each other. The Sixers were nursing a 20-point lead, and it felt as if we were headed toward a lifeless blowout.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the skirmish erupted. It’s still not clear what prompted it, and Towns and Embiid added little clarity after the game. Embiid had…
