Russell Outduels Embiid In Double OT
From a crazy double OT game in Philly to another edition of Rookie Watch, I broke down everything notable from last night’s slate of games.
Timberwolves vs 76ers Crazy Double Overtime Thriller
The last 15 minutes of this game were wild. We had lead changes, bad officiating, and more bad officiating. It was a crazy game and here were my thoughts on every pivotal moment down the stretch.
4th Quarter
1:12 – The T-Wolves are down one and have the ball in transition. D-Lo finds Anthony Edwards wide open in the corner. Edwards drills the open 3-pointers and Minnesota leads 100-98. Timeout Philly.
18.5 – After a lot of fouls, the 76ers are still down 100-99. Tobias Harris is at the free-throw line with a chance to take the lead. He makes the first free-throw but leaves the second one short. We are still tied.
0.0 – In isolation, Anthony Edwards misses the pull-up three. It’s a decent look, but we’re going to overtime. The T-Wolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns in OT, as he fouled out.
Overtime #1
3:03 – After the two teams traded baskets to start OT, this was a big basket for Minnesota. Anthony Edwards drives the lane and finds a wide-open Naz Reid in the corner. While the 76ers announcers don’t know he can shoot, he can. T-Wolves up 105-104
2:47 – In response, Joel Embiid immediately goes into the post against Reid. Embiid takes just one dribble, avoids the double-team, and drills a beautiful baseline fadeaway jumper. 76ers take the lead right back.
35.9 – After D’Angelo Russell misses, there are bodies strewn across the court. The T-Wolves have two men down and Philly takes advantage. Tobias Harris attacks the rim and scores. Philly extends their lead to 3, 110-107.
32.7 – After the timeout, the ball finds its way to D-Lo. Isolated against Mattise Thybulle on the perimeter, Russell makes a dirty jab fake. Russell creates space and drills the three, tying the game.
5.6 – After a turnover, the T-Wolves have the ball again. They again turn to D-Lo when they need a basket. Russell, this time guarded by Harris, gets a screen. Moving to his right, Russell shoots a tough fadeaway 3. Harris makes good a contest, but once again, it doesn’t matter.
Russell does it again and the T-Wolves have a win in their sights. 113-110.
2.1 – The Timberwolves smartly foul Tyrese Maxey, all but assuring they win. Down by 3 with just two seconds left, it seems like the 76ers are doomed.
After making the first free-throw, Maxey and Philly will need a lot to right to win. They need to try and tip the ball in the basket to tie the game, which is never going to happen, not in a million y-
Ok then.
The 76ers smartly subbed in Drummond and he overpowers Jarred Vanderbilt to tie the game. I’m surprised that Minnesota didn’t use their final timeout here, but who cares?
We’re going to double OT!
Overtime #2
4:44 – Oh, somebody scored. I wonder who it was?
{Checks Notes}
Oh, come on. The Timberwolves get very close to turning the ball over, but they get it to Russell. Russell’s hot shooting continues, as he buries another three-pointer on the left wing. 116-113 Minnesota.
2:38 – After struggling to score to start OT2, the 76ers are back to force-feeding Embiid. Embiid makes a tough fadeaway jump shot from the left elbow. He now had 40 points on the night. 76ers back in front, 118-117.
30.9 – The T-Wolves haven’t scored in nearly 4 minutes and desperately need points. Naz Reid gets the ball and challenges Embiid. He scores with his left hand, Minnesota still trails, 120-119.
4.8 – Maxey throws a sloppy pass in the pick-and-roll and D-Lo gets the steal. Minnesota gets a transition opportunity and Taurean Prince gets the ball. He challenges Joel Embiid and makes an impressive left-hand finish.
Minnesota takes the lead 121-120.
0.0 – The 76ers’ final possession was awful. There was no movement and they made Joel Embiid try and operate on the perimeter. Anthony Edwards ends up blocking Embiid, game over. The T-Wolves survive to win a tough game on the road.
Rookie Watch
You know what time it is.
Evan Mobley
I certainly wasn’t expecting Evan Mobley to be back so soon. His initial injury report suggested he would miss close to a month, but he missed just 4 games. Like all things Mobley does, he’s just superhuman. His first game back against Orlando was solid all-around.
Mobley makes a couple of threes from the corner and even had a nice turnaround mid-range shot. But of his five field goals, I had a favorite.
Not many 7-footers can attack a closeout and then calmly sink a floater on the run. Mobley finished with 13 points on the night, but his defense was again the headliner.
Mobley tallied four blocks in his return to action. He made a few great recoveries after getting blown by on the perimeter. His first block of the night on RJ Hampton was just mean.
There’s two angles of that block for you. The frontrunner for ROTY is back and in a big way.
Franz Wagner
It’s easy to forget about Franz Wagner. He’s not as flashy as some of the other rookies and his name is hard to pronounce (fronz VOG-ner). While he might not catch your eye, Wagner continues to do the small things right.
Wagner’s intangibles are incredibly sound, even though he’s just 20 years old. While he struggled to score the ball, he did the dirty work to impact the game.
Of his 8 rebounds, 3 of them were offensive. He has a nose for the ball and always seems to find it. He has been one of the best offensive rebounding rookies, ranking 7th in OREB% among his peers.
The forward from Michigan is also a good playmaker. He is good at reading the defense and making timely passes. Of his 4 assists last night, this following one was the best.
I don’t have to break that one down. You get it.
Herb Jones
Who of you probably don’t know a lot about Herb Jones, so I’ll fill you in. The versatile wing from Alabama was selected in the 2nd round by New Orleans, primarily for his defensive abilities. With New Orleans being terrible, Jones has become a starter for them and played well.
He doesn’t do much offensively, but he is a pretty good defender. He had 4 steals last night, but I want to talk about his defense on Donovan Mitchell.
Jones stayed in front of Mitchell’s drives well, avoiding fouling him and making it tough for him to get an angle. Mitchell also didn’t have too much success shooting over Herb Jones. This play highlights that points perfectly.
Fun Fact: Herb Jones is the first player named ‘Herb’ in the NBA since 1999.
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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