76ers Use Hot Second Half To Beat Timberwolves For Sixth Win In Last Eight Games
Apr 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
With the playoffs on the horizon, the 76ers are getting hot at the right time.
Just about three weeks ago, Philadelphia was dropping in the standings with Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey all out of the lineup, and the chance of playoffs was declining. Somehow, someway, the 76ers stayed in the race and were able to hold the line until their stars returned.
Since the big three have returned to the lineup, the wins have stacked up, and with a huge home matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sixers used a strong second-half performance to pick up their 43rd win on the season, 115-103, and remained in the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers hold a 0.5 game lead over the Toronto Raptors, who are taking on the Memphis Grizzlies Friday evening.
It was another fantastic game for George, who has been on fire since returning from his suspension. He finished with a team-high 23 points as well as six rebounds and assists, while also grabbing three steals. George has averaged 27 points per game since he returned from his suspension five games ago. Maxey and Kelley Oubre Jr. both finished with 21 points, while Embiid recorded a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Unlike the other night’s game, the 76ers’ shooting got off to a slow start, but thankfully so did the Timberwolves. VJ Edgecombe opened up the scoring with a turnaround jumper, and George knocked down his first triple of the game for an early lead.
Anthony Edwards and Maxey, two players vying for a spot on the end-of-season All-NBA First Team, answered each other with jumpers on back-to-back possessions. Following a dunk from Dominick Barlow and a three-pointer from Julius Randle, both teams went scoreless for well over three minutes of action, with Embiid and Edwards ending that streak with two-pointers.
Another nearly three minutes of missed shots and turnovers went by, as both teams’ total points remained in the teens with under two minutes left in the first quarter. The 76ers jumped back in front thanks to a 7-0 run from George, Maxey, and Barlow, but just before the first quarter came to an end, Donte DiVincenzo drilled a corner three to make it 19-17 76ers after 12 minutes.
Quarter two saw a boost in offense from both teams, as in the opening two minutes, back-to-back-to-back-to-back buckets were made. With the 76ers up by four, the Timberwolves, and more specifically Bones Hyland, went on an 8-0 run to put Minnesota back in front.
The 76ers answered back with George knocking down two more buckets, but with the game tied at 33, the Timberwolves went on another 8-0 run, this time with just three points from Hyland and the other five coming from Randle and Kyle Anderson.
Embiid ended the run with a pair of free throws, and George added four more points, but another three from Hyland and three points from Edwards kept Minnesota in front 47-41 heading into the break.
Opening up the second half, both teams went back and forth answering each other’s shots, but after two minutes of play, the 76ers went on a run to re-take the lead. It started with a pair of free throws from Embiid, and it followed with an alley-oop layup from Barlow, assisted by Embiid.
Embiid knocked down another bucket to put it within one, and after a steal from George, Edgecombe slammed one home that gave Philadelphia the lead for the first time since the start of the second quarter.
The lead didn’t last long as Ayo Dosunmu hit two triples and Hyland hit one as well to jump back in front, but the 76ers once again went on a run, a 22-6 run to be exact, to close out the third quarter.
It started as the Maxey show, as he scored the first two buckets of the run, and Embiid kept it going with six straight points. When Embiid went to the bench, Maxey once again continued the run and even found Quentin Grimes open for back-to-back buckets. When it was all said and done, it went from 65-61 Minnesota to 83-71 Philadelphia to close out the third.
The start of the fourth quarter was essentially the Timberwolves trying to get back into the game, and the 76ers continuing to answer each other and keep their double-digit lead alive. For the first eight minutes, that was the case, as Philadelphia led by 10 with four minutes to play; however, the Timberwolves didn’t hear a bell.
Hyland hit a free throw, and Randle drilled a bucket to cut the deficit to seven with under three to play. After Edgecombe and Dosunmu traded twos, it all of a sudden turned into the Oubre Jr. show as the forward scored an and-one bucket and free throw and followed that up with back-to-back three-pointers to close out the win. The 76ers dribbled out the clock, hanging on to the 115-103 win.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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