Player grades: Tyrese Maxey leads Sixers over Timberwolves to end skid
· Yahoo Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday looking to get back in the win column. The Sixers invaded the Target Center on a season-long 4-game losing streak and were looking to come up with a much-needed win with Joel Embiid and Paul George sidelined.
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The Sixers took advantage of the Wolves missing big men Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid as they were able to lean on Tyrese Maxey to get the job done on the road. Maxey had 39 points and eight assists to lead the way for Philadelphia while VJ Edgecombe had 24 points and seven rebounds in a 135-108 win over the Timberwolves.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points and five rebounds, Quentin Grimes had 19 points and seven assists, and Adem Bona added eight points and five rebounds while Dominick Barlow added eight points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Here are the player grades following the win:
Tyrese Maxey: A-plus
The star guard was aggressive in this one. After a tough night in the bayou on Saturday, Maxey knocked down a couple of triples in the early going as he was able to find his rhythm in the early part of this one. His shooting then allowed him to put his head down and attack Minnesota’s aggressive defense and get into the paint. He looked like he had his burst back off the dribble as he was able to take defenders to the basket. He was knocking down tough shots and just looked like himself again which is a big development for Philadelphia. His play in the third quarter when it looked like Minnesota was going to rally in this one was impressive. He was terrific all night long and caused a lot of headaches for the Timberwolves.
VJ Edgecombe: A-plus
The night for Edgecombe got off to a good start as he was able to convert on some open looks within the offense. He moved well without the ball to find open spots from beyond the arc and was able to help the offense find a rhythm. He was also solid defensively while finding a rhythm on the offensive end in terms of his 3-point shooting to give Philadelphia a boost on either end of the floor. He went toe-to-toe with a veteran Minnesota team all night long. He was very good in a number of areas and was a big part of Philadelphia’s overall success.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: B-plus
The Sixers got Oubre going from the perimeter as he converted on a catch-and-shoot opportunity from the wing for a triple. He then put the ball on the floor and got into the paint in order to make things happen either with a bucket or drawing fouls on young Timberwolves big man Joan Beringer who had to start with Minnesota being short-handed. Overall, it wasn’t a hugely efficient night for Oubre, but he did a lot of good things in this one.
Dominick Barlow: B-plus
There were quite a few hustle plays Barlow made in this one—his specialty—as he was helpful on the glass to give Philadelphia a boost in that area. He created a number of extra possessions for the Sixers and he was active off the ball to find open seams in Minnesota’s defense for looks at the basket and finding opportunities. He was terrific on the defensive end as a help defender as he was active on that end and helped force some turnovers for Philadelphia.
Andre Drummond: B
Going from matching up with 18-year veteran DeAndre Jordan on Saturday in New Orleans to the rookie Beringer on Sunday is a jarring switch up for Drummond. The Philadelphia big man used his size and strength to carve out space around the basket for rebounds and drawing fouls. There were some moments when he was a step slow defensively, though, as the Timberwolves found success in the paint. However, this was a solid night for Drummond as he was able to be a presence down low.
Quentin Grimes: A-plus
The initial stint for Grimes was fantastic. He bolted into a couple of triples off the dribble and he handled the ball well enough to run some offense. He made plays for others as he put the ball on the floor, attacked the paint, drew defenders, and found Bona plenty of times on the baseline for easy buckets. He knocked down more triples after halftime as this was the most comfortable and confident he has looked in quite some time.
Adem Bona: A-minus
The young Bona gave Philadelphia a boost with his energy and spark in this one. He was active in the dunker spot to get himself open for dunks and he was all over the place on the defensive end as he bothered Minnesota’s big men. He was attacking the glass as well as he was a positive player for Philadelphia.
Cam Payne: B-minus
The veteran guard hopped off the bench and immediately made an impact with a steal and walking into a triple. The Sixers have benefited from his ability to just handle the ball and give them a reliable guard for the bench unit.
Jabari Walker: C-minus
The initial stint for Walker included him missing an open dunk as it appeared the ball just slipped out of his hand. His physicality did make a difference for him in this one as he was able to make an impact defensively.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Tyrese Maxey leads Sixers over Timberwolves to end skid