Instant Replay: Timberwolves 125, Sixers 102

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The Sixers hosted their seventh and final dress rehearsal on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, a 125-102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. They finished the preseason with a 2-5 record.

The Sixers’ defense was severely lacking in this one. They allowed 30 points in the first quarter, 34 in the second and 32 in the third.

They did hold the Timberwolves to 43.6 percent shooting from the floor, but watched them nail 51.7 percent from long range.

The Sixers shot just 35 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range in the defeat.

Turning point
The Sixers cut the Timberwolves’ lead to nine points with 3:23 to play in the third quarter at 83-74. However, they allowed the T-wolves to pick up steam again and trailed by 24 with 8:47 remaining in the game.

The Sixers can ill afford to give up large scoring spurts because they just do not have the depth to erase double-digit deficits.

That can be controlled with sharper defense, which is something the Sixers can control on a nightly basis.

Follow the leader
Starting shooting guard James Anderson led all scorers with 23 points. He was 9 of 13 from the field, including 4 of 8 from behind the arc. He also grabbed six rebounds.

Anderson is entering his fourth NBA season, but this year will be the first that he sees significant minutes in a starting role.

Timberwolves backup point guard J.J. Barea scored 22 points in 17 minutes. He shot 7 of 11 from the field, including a trio of three-pointers.

Kevin Love was equally efficient, scoring 19 points in 16 minutes and four made threes.

Stat-egic
Both teams attempted 29 three-pointers. The difference was the Timberwolves connected on 15 of their attempts, while the Sixers only made seven.

Take a bow
Royce White played 17 minutes in the game. He scored five points and grabbed six rebounds with his highlight play coming on a transition dunk.

White will make the Sixers’ 15-man roster. He certainly seems to be embracing the chance to play for the first time in the NBA and has also been able to handle his anxiety disorder with two airplane trips during the preseason.

What’s next?
The Sixers will open the regular season against the two-time defending world champion Miami Heat in exactly one week.

The Heat are the frontrunners to win the title again this season, while the Sixers are on the opposite end of the spectrum and will likely struggle to win 20 games.

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