While playing for the Sixers, who are currently 19-8, the centre made 17 of his 25 field goal tries and went 17 of 18 from the free throw line.

When Joel Embiid had the opportunity to hit 50 points at the free throw line, he failed to make the shot.

But Embiid was able to push him above that threshold with a well-timed rebound by Paul Reed and a jumper that was well-positioned by Embiid.

A marquee game that featured three of the best frontcourt players in the NBA, Embiid continued his dominant streak by scoring 51 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to propel the Sixers to a 127-113 victory over the team that arrived in Philadelphia with the best record in the Western Conference. The game took place on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Centre.

There was a significant difference in the conclusion of the first game between these two teams, which took place less than a month ago. In that game, Embiid did not participate because of an injury. He made 17 of his 25 field goal attempts and finished 17 of 18 from the free throw line, with the only miss coming on the attempt that could have given him the round 50-point shot for the 19-8 Sixers. The reigning Most Valuable Player in the National Basketball Association made 17 of his 25 field goal attempts.

Furthermore, it was Embiid’s third straight game with at least 40 points, and it was his thirteenth consecutive game with 30 points. It was in the third quarter that he hit that latter criterion by scoring through and around those opposing big players, Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid, in succession. This was the spark that ignited the Sixers’ drive to break away from the competition.

With fewer than three minutes remaining in the game, he made a jump shot through Gobert’s contact, then executed a and-1 finish against Towns, and then spun and finished around Reid to trim the Timberwolves’ advantage to 83-82. Embiid then went nuclear on Reid in the final minute of the quarter, delivering a powerful one-handed slam through contact before converting the and-1 free throw to give the Sixers a 90-87 advantage. “M-V-P!” screams rained down from the crowd as they cheered for the Sixers.

Although Gobert was limited in the first half due to three fouls, he finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Gobert is an early leader for the Defensive Player of the Year Award in the National Basketball Association for this basketball season. Towns finished with a total of 23 points, including 12 points when he shot four of four from the field in the second quarter, and 13 rebounds. Star wing Anthony Edwards contributed 27 points, seven rebounds, and assists on rebounds for the Timberwolves, who finished with a record of 20-6.

Tyrese Maxey contributed 35 points, including 15 in the final period, which significantly contributed to the Sixers’ ability to extend their advantage to as many as 16 points, and five assists. Those were required on a night when the Sixers played with a team that was shorthanded. Starting forward Nicolas Batum (hamstring) and backup wing Robert Covington (sickness) were both absent from the game. Additionally, starting guard De’Anthony Melton left the game late in the first half with a thigh bruise and did not return.

The Sixers and the Timberwolves each shot below forty percent from the field in the first quarter, which gave the impression that the game would be a defensive slugfest between two of the top five units in efficiency in the National Basketball Association. However, throughout the course of the second period, those figures went in the opposite direction. Maxey scored 17 points, which contributed to the Sixers establishing a 10-point lead. However, the Timberwolves responded by making 12 of their 17 shots, including five of six from outside the arc, to bring the score closer to 64-60 at the halftime break.

Afterwards, on Friday night, the Sixers will play home to the Toronto Raptors. After that, they will go on a four-game road trip that will begin with a game against the Miami Heat on Christmas Day.