Joel Embiid exploded with 42 points on his comeback from a nine-game absence due to health and safety protocols, but failed to lift Philadelphia 76ers from a 121-120 double loss in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
Embiid played 45 minutes in his first game after testing positive for COVID-19 on November 8. He finished with 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks and reached the free throw line 21 times.
Tobias Harris also returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous two matches due to a thigh injury. He finished with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
Embiid scored seven points for Philadelphia in the second overtime, and his jump from the baseline lifted him to 120-117 before there was 1:58 left. But Nas Red’s layup brought Minnesota close to a point with 30.8 seconds left, before D’Angelo Russell stole a pass bound for Embiid and assists in a Reed layup that put the Timberwolves ahead by one point.
Philadelphia had one last chance to win, but Embiid’s 3-point attempt was repelled at the bell.
Russell led the Wolves’ Way with 35 points, including 27 points in the fourth quarter and two overtime periods.
The Sixers, with few hands, finished 2-7 without Embiid. Saturday’s loss left them 10-10 on the season, while the Timberwolves have won seven of their last 10 games.
With information from The Associated Press.