NBA – Towns scores 39 and takes 14 rebounds, Wolves fall to 76ers

PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid scored 24 points and eight rebounds in his return to the Philadelphia lineup, and Tobias Harris scored 32 to lead the 76ers to a 122-113 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves this Saturday night.

Ben Simmons added 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Philadelphia (34-15), which tied with inactive Brooklyn for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Embiid missed the previous 10 games due to a bruise to his left knee bone. The four-time All-Star and MVP candidate entered averaging 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds in 31 games this season.

Philadelphia fans were happy to see their favorite big man back in action, serenading a smiling Embiid with “MVP! MVP! “he sings when he appears on the big screen during warm-ups.

With his left knee tightly wrapped, Embiid moved well, but his game was not as strong as it had been before the injury, which he suffered on March 12 in Washington. Embiid shot 6 of 14 from the field but missed all four 3-point attempts and made 12 of 17 free throws.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 39 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves, whose worst record in the NBA fell to 12-38. Anthony Edwards added 27 points.

Led by Towns’ 17 points and eight rebounds, Minnesota held on in the first half and trailed only 64-60 at halftime. Philadelphia used a quick 13-0 run to start the second half, over which the 76ers didn’t miss a shot, to take control. The streak was capped by a Seth Curry free throw that made it 77-60 with 9:03 remaining in the third quarter after a technical foul on Minnesota coach Chris Finch.

That was too much ground for the Timberwolves to make up, even though they did make it a late game.

Minnesota got close to four on multiple occasions in the final five minutes, the last being Edwards’ dunk with 2:02 left. But Harris went too far down the stretch, giving an answer for the 76ers every time the Timberwolves got close. Harris scored the 76ers’ last four field goals, including a dunk that made it 117-111 with 1:46 to play.

Towns provided a first-half climax when he dived over Embiid with 8:15 left in the second quarter. The two players have a history of adversaries, and both earned suspensions for a fight during an October 2019 game in Philadelphia that was followed by an exchange of comments on social media after the game.

Towns, booed during introductions and every time he touched the ball, followed the dunk with an emphatic block from Matisse Thybulle’s layup attempt on Philadelphia’s next possession.

DALLAS 109, WASHINGTON 87

WASHINGTON.- Luka Doncic scored 26 points and Dallas Mavericks they overwhelmed this Saturday 109-87 Washington Wizards.

The Slovenian hit 12 of his 24 shots. He grabbed eight rebounds and provided six assists for Dallas, which has won four straight games and completed a five-game road trip with a 4-1 record.

Jalen Brunson scored 19 points and Boban Marjanovic he achieved his third “double-double” of the season, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 16 points and Dorian Finney-Smith ended with 11. Russell Westbrook He totaled 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Wizards, who posted their fewest points of the season. Washington has lost three straight and 11 of 14 since the All-Star break.

Robin López scored 18 points and Brazilian Raúl Neto finished with 16 as a substitute.

KNICKS 125, PISTONS 81

DETROIT .- Julius Randle scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, and the New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 125-81 this Saturday night.

Randle and Reggie Bullock, who scored 22 points, had four 3s apiece in the first, while New York scored early. The Knicks stopped a three-game slump, returning to .500 at 25-25.

It was the largest margin of victory for the Knicks since 1996, a 125-79 victory against expanding Toronto.

Randle was 1-for-7 from 3-point range in a 99-86 loss to Dallas on Friday, but was 5-for-9 from deep Saturday.

“I couldn’t hit anything (on Friday) so I guess the basketball gods changed it,” Randle said. “I just tried to come out and be aggressive, and really the whole team came out with energy.”

RJ Barrett scored 14 points for New York and Immanuel Quickley had 12. Elfrid Payton and Taj Gibson added 11 each.

Jerami Grant scored 16 points for Detroit and Hamidou Diallo had 14.

Pistons rookie Killian Hayes returned after missing 41 games with a hip injury. France’s No. 7 team didn’t score for 20 minutes, grabbing five rebounds and handing out three assists.

The Knicks opened the game with a 16-1 run. The Pistons got their first field goal when Diallo hit an out pass from Hayes with 6:51 left in the first.

“I thought the generosity, the way that we protected and shared the ball, it got us off to a great start,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I loved the union, the team spirit.”

New York hit nine 3-pointers before Saben Lee made Detroit’s first in the second quarter.

The Knicks finished 17 of 36 (47.2%) on 3s, outscoring the Pistons 51-24 from beyond the arc.

“They were more physical, more eager, they just beat us,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “As a team we have to decide who we want to be. Are we a team of guys trying to get our numbers? I have to train better, I have to prepare and despair them, because tonight we had none of the above ”.

MIAMI 115, CAVALIERS 101

MIAMI – Duncan Robinson scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-pointers and the Miami Heat continued their home dominance over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 115-101 victory this Saturday night.

Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Trevor Ariza scored 15 points and Jimmy Butler added 15 points and 11 assists for the Heat to win their 20th consecutive round against the Cavaliers in Miami.

Collin Sexton scored 26 points and Taurean Prince finished with a season-high 19 points for the Cavaliers, who lost their fifth straight game and haven’t won in Miami since January 25, 2010.

The Heat finished with 35 assists, including 13 in the first quarter. Robinson hit his first four 3-pointers as Miami shot 10 of 21 from long range in the first half and led 67-54 at halftime.

Cleveland edged closer to 75-70 on a Prince layup with 4:05 remaining in the third quarter before Miami scored five straight points and regained its double-digit lead.

TIP INS

Cavaliers: Larry Nance Jr. (illness), Jarrett Allen (concussion) and Dylan Windler (left knee pain) were out. … The Cavaliers snapped a four-game streak without reaching 100 points.

Heat: Andre Iguodala (pain in left hip) was out of Saturday’s game. Miami was winless and lost by an average of 20.5 in the previous four games Iguodala missed this season. … With double-digit performances in back-to-back games, Ariza topped outings by two points in each of his previous two games. . The Heat are 8-1 with 30 assists.

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