MINNEAPOLIS — James Harden took Anthony Edwards off the dribble and got to the basket, floating the ball high into the air before it bounced into the rim for the and-one.
And with that, the 76ers’ much-anticipated Harden era was underway. Their marquee midseason acquisition flirted with a triple-double in his debut with his new team, totaling 27 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds to help the Sixers cruise to a 133-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night at the Target Center.
Coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he was eager to begin this part of the process following the blockbuster trade that brought Harden and Paul Millsap to the Sixers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round draft picks. And Harden, a perennial All-Star and former MVP, immediately flashed several elements of his lethal offensive skill set.
Harden drew fouls as the primary ballhandler, taking some of that pressure off second-year guard Tyrese Maxey. He twice slung the ball to Tobias Harris for a 3-pointer. He connected on a second-quarter floater and got free in the corner for a beyond-the-arc shot.
And late in the first half, he launched a vintage step-back 3-pointer, drew contact from the Timberwolves’ Jarred Vanderbilt, and watched the shot drop for the four-point play — eliciting a groan from the home crowd and stretching the Sixers’ lead to 63-49. He connected on another about midway through the fourth quarter, prompting a hug from Joel Embiid and pushing his team’s lead to 113-89.
That advantage eventually ballooned to 27 points when Embiid converted at the rim to make the score 88-61 late in the third quarter, and then 35 on an Furkan Korkmaz 3-pointer with one minute to play.
Embiid led the Sixers with 34 points, including a 11-of-13 mark from the free-throw line, and 10 rebounds. Maxey added 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting, including two key buckets to stretch the Sixers’ lead back to 22 points early in the fourth quarter. The Sixers forced 16 Timberwolves turnovers that they converted into 21 points.
The dominant win was an ideal start to the Sixers’ sprint to the end of the regular season following the All-Star break. They began Friday in third place in the tightly packed Eastern Conference standings, and are now 36-23 with 23 games to play before the postseason. Up next is a nationally televised road game against the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon.
Rotations, rotations
Rivers said before the game that he wanted to stagger their top four offensive players, keeping some combination of Harden, Maxey, Harris, and Embiid on the floor at all times. That led to a variety of new lineup combinations throughout the game.
Matisse Thybulle got the start at small forward, further solidifying his spot in that first unit. Georges Niang and Korkmaz were the first subs with about five minutes to play in the first quarter for Harris and Harden, before Danny Green subbed in for Thybulle, and Harden later re-entered when Embiid went off the floor.
They finished the first quarter with Harden, Korkmaz, Green, Harris, and Millsap (until Thybulle subbed in for the final defensive possession) and started the second with the same group except Shake Milton in place of Korkmaz.
For a second-quarter stretch, the Sixers played with Maxey, Harden, Milton, Harris, and Embiid. They then finished the half with Harden, Green, Thybulle, Harris, and Millsap.
Rivers went with an all-bench look for the first time late in the third quarter, with Milton, Korkmaz, Green, Niang, and Millsap, but quickly re-inserted Harris when Minnesota trimmed the Sixers’ lead to 18 points. Harden and Maxey then started the fourth with Green, Harris, and Millsap.
Millsap at backup center
For the second consecutive game, Millsap was the backup center behind Embiid. He finished with three points on 3-of-4 shooting from the free-throw line and two rebounds in 12 minutes.
His first shift did not go well. He missed two shots at the rim, including getting blocked and clamoring for a foul. But he made two impact plays in a short burst at the end of the second quarter. His steal led to Harden’s four-point play, and an offensive rebound led to the Green missed 3-pointer that Thybulle punched in right before the buzzer.
Millsap then played two minutes in the third and another two in the fourth.
Willie Cauley-Stein, who just signed a 10-day contract, made his Sixers debut late in the fourth quarter. Paul Reed, who held the backup center role in the two games following the trade before Millsap arrived, also did not enter the game until garbage time.
