Jonah Bolden claims role as backup center with impressive performance over Timberwolves

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THE SCORE OF THE BOX

Jimmy Butler did not have his best performance, but Ben Simmons, Jonah Bolden and the rest of his teammates recovered on his return to Minnesota.

The Sixers took a bright start, but clung to life after a 118-109 win over the Timberwolves at the Target Center on Saturday night.

The team was without Joel Embiid (knee, load management) and will be deprived of the All-Star center for all his three-game journey on the road.

The win improves the Sixers to 49-27 on the season and brings them closer to a match closer to locking the third seed of the East.

Here are the observations of the victory.

• Welcome to Minny, Jimmy.

We know that Butler does not fear the role of villain. He wears it proudly – literally.

Butler was silent in the score service. He did a ton of restless games, but the Sixers could have used more of him on the offensive. He finished with just 12 points on 4 of 17 shots with 13 rebounds and five assists.

He 's twisted his back down from a failed lob attempt. He did not leave the match, but as Embiid is waiting to run out of time, it is worth noting.

• Ben Simmons did not take or make a three, but his tempo-making has created opportunities for his team-mates. He had eight assists in the first half and was an effective 4 of 5 for eight points.

In the second half, Minnesota smothered Simmons, who had just nine assists and returned the ball five times. He had 20 points (8 of 11 shots) and 10 rebounds.

• With Embiid missing, Jonah Bolden started and the rookie ran with the opportunity. He was active early and it was clear that Karl-Anthony Towns could not match the energy of the young center.

Including on this ridiculous absurdity where Towns failed to lock Bolden.

Bolden showed exactly what he could bring to the playoff table. His athleticism, his fast feet and his ability to protect the rim could be useful against larger and more mobile men. Discipline was the biggest problem for Bolden this season, but he remained largely out of trouble. He was a plus-22 over-team while Boban Marjanovic and Amir Johnson were combined less-13.

He also hit five times three for good measure. He recorded 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

• The Sixers made a tremendous start on the field. They struck eight times in the first quarter for the second consecutive game. They went 8 out of 13, with one of these failings being a late-quarter uprising. They froze the rest of the way, making only 7 of their last 18 games.

Tobias Harris led the way scoring 3 of 5 versus 3 in the first half. Harris has recently experienced a shooting crisis. He has only shot 29% of the last three games in his last 13 games. He had not hit more than three shots in a match since March 2, against the Warriors – a match in which he only hit 3 out of 11.

You must love the confidence that comes with shooting like this dribbling.

Unfortunately, Harris could not rely on his quick start, but he was solid with 25 points to his credit with seven rebounds and four assists.

• In his second game against his former team, the former Six Dario Saric player had a bad night on the pitch. "The Homie" went just 1 in 6 for four points.

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