The Minnesota Timberwolves confidently stormed into Wells Fargo Center to take on the flailing Philadelphia 76ers. Much like the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, the 76ers have their eyes fixated on the 2025 NBA draft instead of results on the court.

Anthony Edwards lit the fuse early in the game. Detonating on the shorthanded 76ers front court for yet another highlight reel slam.

The rest of the Timberwolves followed suit, turning defense into offense early and often. Rudy Gobert continues to pulverize opposing frontcourts; this has been some of the most dominant offensive basketball Rudy Gobert has played. The ball was zipping around offensively, but the shots weren’t falling early, allowing the 76ers to stay within striking distance.

Just as it looked like the Timberwolves would run away with a lead, turnovers sparked the 76ers to life. With two minutes remaining in the half, they stormed back to within one with an 11-2 run. Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert settled Minnesota down, scoring key buckets to ensure a 4-point 55-51 lead heading into the break.

Out of the break, the 76ers would give Minnesota a taste of their own medicine, manufacturing turnovers into points. Lonnie Walker IV was outstanding in another pivotal audition for his NBA future, breathing life into the 76ers’ attack. Julius Randle was outstanding, pushing the pace, but miscues from Minnesota quickly began to take a toll.

The 76ers kept pace with the Timberwolves, punching back on the glass while continually capitalizing on Minnesota turnovers. Yabusele was a thorn in the Wolves’ paw with multiple slams. His strength and tenacity in the painted area mucked Minnesota’s control over the glass. But when the Wolves’ nation’s eyes were rolling at a 76ers 2nd half lead, Anthony Edwards began to take control of the game with two quick threes.

Rudy Gobert couldn’t let Edwards have all the fun. Rudy was dominant down the stretch, completely inevitable on the offensive glass as he vacuumed deflections to propel Minnesota to an 11-point lead with four minutes remaining in the game.

Quinten Grimes, however, wasn’t ready to head home.

Grimes erupted for three straight deep balls to catapult the 76ers right back to within one. Anthony Edwards promptly returned fire to keep the surging 76ers at arm’s length. An uncharacteristic turnover from Mike Conley kept hope alive. Edwards, with 20 seconds left, drove to the rim and flung a fastball that ricocheted off Randle’s hands, causing a loose ball chase-down between Grimes and Randle. Originally called a Grimes foul, the game came to a standstill to unravel a game-changing review.

The call on the floor was overturned, but possession was retained for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards had enough of Quinten Grimes and the 76ers and buried an outrageous contested three to slam the door shut on the comeback bid.

Your Minnesota Timberwolves improved to 46-32.

Key Takeaways

Rudy Gobert dominates

I will say it again: We may be watching Gobert’s best offensive stretch in his career. He was unstoppable on the glass, snatching 19 rebounds, including pivotal offensive boards directly leading to free throws. Gobert was the stabilizing force for Minnesota tonight.

Gobert finished with 21 points, 19 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. There has been a concerted effort to get Gobert more involved in the offense, and the French big man continues to pay back Minnesota.

Anthony Edwards is a flamethrower

Edwards set the tone early with a ridiculous slam. Edwards struggled shooting from the floor early in the game. Still, when the Timberwolves needed a bucket, Anthony Edwards provided the spark, jumpstarting a 14-3 run with 9 minutes remaining and slamming the door shut with a 10-6 run to close the game.

Edwards was simply a superstar, finishing with 37 points.

Turnovers keep Philly close

A concerning trend tonight was Minnesota repeatedly giving the 76ers opportunities to get back into the game. The Timberwolves committed 15 turnovers on the night, including a stress-inducing Mike Conley turnover in the game’s waning moments to give Philly life. The careless play resulted in the 76ers getting 10 more shots off compared to Minnesota.’

Credit is due to Philadelphia; the shorthanded roster played hard and displayed a commitment to defense. That said, the Timberwolves will need to find their discipline before the playoffs. You cannot gift-wrap opportunities to playoff teams with careless play if you’re serious about making a run deep into May.

Up Next

The Timberwolves are headed back to the Midwest for a border battle with the Milwaukee Bucks. Tune in on Tuesday, April 8th at 7 PM CT as the Wolves continue their quest to elevate their position in the Western Conference.

Box Score

Game Highlights