Philadelphia forward Jimmy Butler’s first game against his former team was no contest Tuesday as the 76ers destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves 149-107.
Sixers center Joel Embiid scored 31 points and pulled down 13 rebounds and guard Ben Simmons fell just shy of a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in an NBA clash that Philadelphia controlled from start to finish.
The Sixers scored 83 points in the first half — their highest first-half total since dropping 83 on San Antonio on March 24, 1989.
Their 21 three-pointers were a team record.
Butler, traded from Minnesota in November after agitating for a move since the start of the season, added 19 points as seven Sixers players — including all five starters, scored in double figures.
The rout of a struggling T’Wolves team — who fired head coach Tom Thibodeau last week — was a confidence builder for the 76ers who play their next 12 games against teams with winning records.
“We’ve got a tough stretch coming up against all playoff teams,” Embiid said. “I think the next three weeks are really going to shape our season. It’s going to be exciting to see where we are.”
In Indianapolis, the Indiana Pacers led wire-to-wire in a 131-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Myles Turner, back in action after missing four games with a sore right shoulder, scored 18 points and pulled down six rebounds for the Pacers, who had 20 points apiece from starting forward Bojan Bogdanovic and reserve Tyreke Evans.
