Andre Iguodala leads Philadelphia 76ers to 111-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves
Andre Iguodala’s second triple-double of the 2010-11 season helped the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Orlando Magic 111-100 at Wells Fargo Centre on Friday night. The performance marked Iguodala’s sixth career triple-double.
The most interesting aspect of the contest was that six Philadelphia players ended up scoring in double figures, including three off the bench. It is the 17th time during this season that the 76ers have had at least six players score 10 or more points. In
addition to that, it is the 14th occasion when at least three reserves have scored in double figures.
Iguodala registered 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, as Philadelphia fought off yet another stellar performance from Kevin Love.
Iguodala said after the game, “I was happy with the triple-double, but it was more important that we got the win. We needed the win. Every win from here on out is important for us.”
Philadelphia forward Elton Brand played an effective game with 21 points, while Thaddeus Young was terrific off the bench with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks scored 12 points each while Evan Turner finished with 10 points for the Sixers, who have won five of their last six games.
The 22-year-old forward-centre Love had 21 points and 23 rebounds for the Timberwolves, extending his single-season record to 49 straight double-doubles. Kevin now needs just two more to tie Moses Malone's record of 51 consecutive double-doubles during the
1978-79 season.
Nikola Pekovic had just his fifth career start and was impressive at centre with 16 points for the Wolves, who are now 15-48 during this season. Michael Beasley posted 15 points and Luke Ridnour grabbed 10 assists for Minnesota, who lost their 26th road
game of the season.
Anthony Randolph chipped in with 12 points while Lazar Hayward had 11 points for the 76ers, who made just 10 free throws during the game.
Match Analysis
Love was at the top of his game from the very start, as he pounded 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds to help Minnesota to a 31-22 lead going into the second. Trailing by nine-points, Philadelphia came on strong in the second quarter, as they went
on a 14-3 run to take a 36-34 advantage in the ninth minute.
Both teams started the third quarter at crisp pace, using 29 possessions apiece. However, the Sixers managed to take an 85-78 edge into the final stanza. Philadelphia continued to play offensively and led by 89-80 early in the fourth. However, the Timberwolves
scored six straight to cut the deficit to 89-86 with eight and a half minutes remaining.
Minnesota forward Lazar Hayward’s three-pointer tied the game at 91 with seven and a half minutes left in the game. The Sixers then came right back with an 8-0 run to take a 99-91 lead. Minnesota fought hard to make the score a respectable one, as they cut
the lead to 101-100 with just two minutes to go until the final buzzer.
However, Brand knocked down consecutive jumpers, and the Sixers scored the final 10 points of the game to seal the victory.
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