Timberwolves 105, 76ers 88
PHILADELPHIA -- Reserve guard Alexey Shved scored 17 points, and Josh Howard added a season-high 16 in his third start of the season as the Minnesota Timberwolves drubbed the Philadelphia 76ers 105-88 Tuesday night.
Howard, who started at small forward when Andrei Kirilenko did not make the trip because of back spasms, entered the game averaging just 5.9 points a game. He shot 7-for-12 from the field and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds.
Shved, who was shooting 38.9 percent from the field, went 5-for-8 from the floor.
The Timberwolves (8-8) shot 53.2 percent (41-for-77) en route to their second straight victory. They also nailed a season-high 13 3-pointers in 25 attempts (52 percent). It was the most 3-pointers the Sixers have allowed in a game this season.
Evan Turner topped the Sixers with 19 points. Philadelphia (10-8) lost its second game in a row.
Minnesota forward Kevin Love, playing his seventh game since returning from a hand injury, shot 2-for-10 and finished with just six points. However, he added 10 rebounds and five assists, and his less-heralded teammates picked up the scoring slack.
Seven Timberwolves cracked double figures in all. Dante Cunningham (13), J.J. Barea (11), Luke Ridnour (10), Malcolm Lee (10) and Derrick Williams (10) were the others. Minnesota enjoyed a 57-23 advantage in bench scoring.
Shved made all three of his shots, two of them 3-pointers, while scoring 11 points in the first half, when Minnesota led by as many as 23 points en route to a 65-47 halftime lead.
The Timberwolves shot 59.5 percent in the first half (25-for-42), including 58.3 percent from 3-point range (7-for-12), to build a 23-point lead late in the second quarter. The bulge was 65-47 at halftime, the most points the Sixers allowed in any half this season.
Turner had 12 points in the first half for the Sixers, while Jrue Holiday added 11 and Jason Richardson 10.
The Sixers never drew closer than 14 in the second half.
Richardson finished with 14 points, while Holiday and Thaddeus Young had 13.
NOTES: The Sixers were without reserve guard Nick Young (toe). ... Philadelphia entered the game ranked 21st in the league in bench scoring (28.4 points per game) after finishing fourth last season at 38.8 points a game. Coach Doug Collins noted that three of last year's reserves -- Turner, Young and Lavoy Allen -- are now starting, and another, Lou Williams, now plays for Atlanta. Collins added, "We're still finding out what guys can do, night in and night out. Just bring what you bring -- that's the most important thing." ... Collins said the team is toying with the idea of sending rookie forward Arnett Moultrie to Sioux Falls of the NBA Development League. Moultrie made just his sixth appearance of the season Tuesday night, and he scored four points in 11 minutes. "He needs to play," Collins said.
