76ers Vs Timberwolves: Maxey’s 39 Lifts Philly in 135-108 Road Rout and Exposes Minnesota’s Depth Problems

The immediate impact of this game landed hardest on Minnesota’s rotation and the Timberwolves’ defensive identity: in a 135-108 loss, the 76ers turned to Tyrese Maxey to seize control and the Wolves were left scrambling without their usual frontcourt anchors. In the 76ers vs timberwolves matchup, Maxey’s assertive night changed matchups, forced lineup experiments for Minnesota and left clear short‑term questions about depth and recovery.

Who felt the change first: rotations, momentum and matchup fallout

Here’s the part that matters: Philadelphia leaned on Maxey to deliver on the second night of a back‑to‑back while Joel Embiid missed his fifth straight game for right knee injury management and right shin soreness. That absence, paired with Minnesota’s own frontcourt shortages, made the game a referendum on depth for both teams — one team leaning into a scorer’s hot night, the other improvising through disruption.

76ers Vs Timberwolves: scoreline, key stats and what moved the needle

Final score: 76ers 135, Timberwolves 108 — a 27‑point margin, Minnesota’s largest loss of the season. Tyrese Maxey finished with 39 points on 16‑for‑28 shooting, 4‑for‑7 from three, and eight assists, a performance that outdueled Minnesota’s leading scorer for the night. Anthony Edwards finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and three assists but also seven turnovers. Julius Randle scored 18 points and finished with three rebounds and three assists.

• Margin: 27 points — largest Minnesota loss this season.
• Maxey: 39 points, 16‑for‑28, 4‑for‑7 from deep, eight assists.
• Edwards: 28 points, nine rebounds, three assists, seven turnovers.
• Randle: 18 points, three rebounds, three assists; described by the coach as "under the weather pretty severely" despite not being on the pregame injury report.

Rotation breakdown: suspensions, soreness and a rookie start that didn’t stick

Without Rudy Gobert — suspended for accruing too many flagrant fouls — and Naz Reid — out with shoulder soreness — Minnesota turned to Joan Beringer for his first career start. Beringer’s early foul trouble was immediate: two quick fouls four minutes into the game sent him to the bench for the remainder of the quarter, and in the second quarter he picked up a third foul after just one minute on the court and sat out the rest of the half. That sequence, combined with a thin active front court, disrupted rotations for the rest of the contest.

Minnesota tried mixing in players who hadn’t been part of the rotation in the previous game — Mike Conley, Jaylen Clark and Terrence Shannor Jr. — but none of the combinations stuck. Lineups that showed any life required Anthony Edwards on the floor; the Wolves were outscored by 22 points in the 11 minutes Edwards spent on the bench before garbage time, even though the team lost his minutes by only three points overall.

How Philadelphia structured Maxey’s night and why it worked

Philadelphia intentionally opened space for Maxey. The coaching staff put Andre Drummond, Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona into higher screens near half court to create running room, letting Maxey use speed and quickness to attack the paint. The approach produced creases and clean looks, and the coaching staff credited the screening and spacing for giving Maxey room to play aggressively rather than spend possessions stuck in post‑switch confusion.

Maxey’s recent rougher shooting stretches and heavy minutes made this a must‑have performance for Philadelphia; the team needed a lift on the road to get back in the win column while finishing a multi‑game trip.

• The Wolves surrendered 17 second‑chance points and struggled with closeouts on shooters for most of the game.
• Defensive scheme inconsistency led to turnovers for Edwards, who acknowledged unexpected coverages cost him possessions.
• Maxey’s night lifted Philadelphia’s supporting pieces and changed the game’s flow in the second half.

What’s easy to miss is how much a single player’s rhythm can ripple through both sides’ rotations: Maxey’s assertiveness forced Minnesota to exhaust options it hadn’t planned to rely on.

Short timeline and immediate next steps

• Feb 22, 2026 — 76ers 135, Timberwolves 108 (27‑point margin).
• Maxey’s big night came on the Sixers’ second night of a back‑to‑back while Embiid missed his fifth straight game for right knee injury management and right shin soreness.
• Philadelphia will finish its 3‑game road trip on Tuesday when it faces the Indiana Pacers.

The real question now is how Minnesota balances short‑term lineup fixes with longer recovery and discipline issues, and whether Philadelphia can replicate this spacing approach with Embiid absent if Maxey’s workload continues to rise.

The bigger signal here is that depth gaps — whether from suspension, soreness or foul trouble — can turn one night into a season‑level data point if not addressed quickly.