"That's bigger than basketball... I've seen people die from that” - Karl-Anthony Towns puts personal differences with Joel Embiid aside to express elation at the latter's recovery from COVID-19
The Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid returned to the court after a Covid-19 scare. The 27-year old missed 9 games, which saw the 76ers' form drop as they went from an 8-2 record to 10-9.
In their previous outing, the 76ers hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Wells Fargo Center in their 20th game of the season. The game ended with the Timberwolves being victorious by a point differential in double overtime.
During the postgame interview, Karl-Anthony Towns spoke about his teammate, D'Angelo Russell, and his contribution to the game. He stated that this was one of the best performances he has ever witnessed from the point guard. He attributed that to Russell's input on defense as well as offense.
"That's probably one of the best D'Angelo Russell performances I've ever seen. And listen, I've seen him get 50 against us. The difference between this game and that game is the defense he played as well as the offense he gave us."
Karl-Anthony Towns acknowledging postgame that he and Joel Embiid have their history, but he wanted to make it a point to say he is very happy to see Embiid back and healthy from COVID.
"That's bigger than basketball... I've seen people die from that."
Karl also talked about Joel Embiid's return, sharing his elation at the 76ers talisman's return and recovery from Covid-19. He acknowledged their shared differences but stated that this was much more than basketball.
"We've had our thing for a while, but this is bigger than basketball. That's bigger than what we have. I've seen it kill people. And I'm glad he's on the other side."
Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers' loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in retrospect
Joel Embiid and the 76ers were behind by 15 points at the end of halftime. They went behind in the first quarter but drew with the Timberwolves in the second quarter.
Joel Embiid inspired the Sixers to take the lead by the end of the third quarter, winning the quarter by 13 points. This reduced the gap between both teams to 2 points. The 76ers forced overtime in the 4th quarter as they led with a 2-point differential.
After enduring a stalemate in the first overtime, Wolves claimed victory in the second overtime, going ahead by a point to seal the win.
Joel Embiid first game back:
42 PTS
14 REB
16-21 FT
The Timberwolves shot 16 free throws as a team. https://t.co/mIs96WCWh3
On his first night back, Joel Embiid posted 42 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists, his best record of the season yet. Tobias Harris had 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Tyrese Maxey was next with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists. Seth Curry netted 3 threes out of 8 attempts, the most by a 76ers' player.
Joel Embiid had a 52.2% accuracy from the field, sinking 12-of-23 field goal attempts and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also sunk in 16 free throws out of 21 attempts from the charity stripe. But sadly, it wasn't enough to give the 76ers the much-needed win.