MINNEAPOLIS - Andrew Wiggins scored 35 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a matchup of star young centers as the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 110-86 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Wiggins added 10 rebounds and four assists, while shooting 14 of 20 as two of the four youngest teams in the NBA met for a nationally televised game showcasing the young skill of players like Wiggins, Towns and Philadelphia rookie center Joel Embiid.
Gorgui Dieng had his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota (4-7), which won for the third time in five games. Dieng also helped limit Embiid to 10 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. It's the second straight double-double for Embiid and his third of the season. But the 7-footer entered the game leading all rookies with 18 points per game.
Dario Saric scored 16 points off the bench for Philadelphia (2-10), which has lost 21 consecutive road games. The 76ers' last road win was Jan. 20, 2016 at Orlando, resulting in the second-longest road losing streak in team history.
Coming off a home win against Washington a night earlier, Philadelphia offered little resistance in the first half to the surging Timberwolves' offense.
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The league's top first-quarter offense, Minnesota led 27-18 after the opening period, with Wiggins and Towns each scoring eight points. The Timberwolves' lead ballooned to 28 in the first half as they entered halftime leading 61-33 and shooting 56.8 percent from the field with 30 points in the paint to the 76ers' 18.
The 33 points tied the lowest scoring half for Philadelphia in a game this season.
With 21-year olds in Wiggins and Towns on the roster, Minnesota is the league's youngest average team at 23.6 years of age. The 76ers average 25.1 years old. Embiid was the third overall pick in 2014 when Wiggins was the No. 1 pick. Towns was selected first last year with Philadelphia center Jahlil Okafor taken third.
Embiid, off two missed seasons because of injuries, has been one of the sensations of the early season in the NBA. However, Wiggins entered the game 10th in the league in scoring and Towns was 20th.
Wiggins demonstrated his increased aggressiveness and growing repertoire on offense. He had 19 points at halftime and surpassed 30 points for the third time in six games.
