James Harden is expected to make his long-anticipated debut for the Philadelphia 76ers when they battle the host Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Harden was acquired with Paul Millsap from the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks before the trade deadline.
Harden sat out the first four games with a strained hamstring, though the Sixers went 3-1. All signs point to Harden playing against the Timberwolves.
Harden hasn’t played since Feb. 2, when he scored four points for the Nets in a road loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Joel Embiid, a Most Valuable Player candidate, played in the All-Star Game like he has all season — at an extremely high level. Embiid had 36 points and 10 rebounds in the midseason showcase in Cleveland.
Embiid will enter this matchup averaging 29.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
The NBA honored the 75 greatest players in history at halftime of the All-Star Game. That’s what Embiid is striving for in the future.
“I aspire to be up there at some point when I’m done,” Embiid said. “Even before I’m done. Obviously, you have to win. Talent-wise, (I) could be up there, but (I’ve) got to win a championship. So that’s the goal for me every single day — the work I put in to try to accomplish that.”
Embiid was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft and missed his first two seasons with foot injuries.
“Basically, you miss two years in a row and all these stories coming out every single day,” Embiid said. “‘Oh, Joel is whatever, 300 pounds.’ And the media (is) always talking down on you. It was tough. I had to go through a lot. It was very tough, but I’m glad I just kept pushing through with the help of everybody around me.”
The Timberwolves will look for their second victory in as many nights when they host the Sixers. Minnesota earned a hard-fought 119-114 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
D’Angelo Russell led the way with 37 points and nine assists while Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Beasley contributed 17 points and Patrick Beverley had 13.
For the Timberwolves to qualify for the playoffs, Towns will need to continue performing like an All-Star. He recently earned his third berth in the event.
“We’ve got to feature him, I think, more throughout the game,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “He’s had such a great season and been so good at picking his moments to step up and just fitting in with everybody — and that’s been important. We also have to make sure we don’t underutilize a guy with that type of talent.”
The 6-foot-11 Towns proved his mettle during All-Star Weekend as he captured the 3-point contest. Towns became the second-tallest player to win the event since 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki was victorious for the Dallas Mavericks in 2006.
For Towns, it doesn’t matter where he receives the ball.
“Give me the ball; I’ll score,” Towns said. “Pretty sure about that. No matter where it’s at — 3-point land, half-court, inside the paint, free throw. It don’t matter. I always feel (if) 32 touches the ball, I’m going to score it most of the time.”
–Field Level Media