Instant observations: Sixers finally find flow, snap losing streak with emphatic win over Timberwolves

Early in the 2025-26 season, one of the signatures of this Sixers team was its ability to discount disadvantageous circumstances and find ways to win games. But lately, with Joel Embiid injured and Paul George suspended, the team has resembled last year's squad which suffered horrid losses time and time again, with Saturday's brutal showing against the lowly New Orleans Pelicans taking the cake.

That is what makes the Sixers' 135-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday so refreshing. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Sixers were gifted favorable terms – Minnesota was without its two centers, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid – and instead of bungling a gift of a situation, the Sixers took advantage, pummeling an undermanned Minnesota frontcourt right away to build a healthy lead and never looking back.

Tyrese Maxey had his most efficient performance since the All-Star break, while VJ Edgecombe enjoyed the best three-point shooting night of his career, Kelly Oubre Jr. gave the Sixers an early lift in secondary scoring and Quentin Grimes thrived, all helping offset Embiid once again being sidelined due to his right knee and calf issues.

The Sixers' four-game losing streak – all without Embiid – is over. But that does not mean Sunday was a perfect day. Takeaways from a much-needed win in Minnesota, plus more on a rookie season ending prematurely:

Sixers find flow, inside and out

With Gobert out due to a suspension and Reid sidelined because of an injury, instead of facing a three-headed monster of a frontcourt, the Sixers went up against a very light rotation of bigs. Julius Randle is a great player, but starting next to him at center was 19-year-old rookie Joan Beringer, with only one other big even available – Rocco Zikarsky, a rookie two-way player who has yet to play in the NBA and Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch decided not to use.

Beringer, a jumpy and athletic big, was an easy target to get into foul trouble. The Sixers very quickly forced him into picking up a pair of fouls. Finch was in a bind, and he slid Randle up to the small-ball five spot. The Sixers were able to almost immediately get Randle in foul trouble, forcing a wing in Jaden McDaniels to slide all the way up to center. McDaniels, who opened the game guarding Maxey, is an excellent defender. But he is not an interior defender or a primary rim protector.

Finch's close friend, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, took advantage of an opponent in scramble mode. The Sixers were able to find their groove early on the offensive end and, aside from a few natural lulls that were rather brief, kept their feet on the gas. Maxey had a game which was reminiscent of his early-season ascent to the fringes of superstardom, scoring at all three levels against a group of excellent perimeter defenders.

Grimes came into Sunday's game having posted back-to-back impressive first halves before struggling after intermissions, but he was able to find a stronger and more consistent flow against the Timberwolves, and it made the Sixers look considerably more dangerous offensively. Grimes' impact was not limited to three-point shooting; he had some impressive drives and was effective as a facilitator:

Grimes ➡️ Bona 💥 pic.twitter.com/z8pKQRwsXp

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 23, 2026

Early on, Edgecombe and Oubre gave the Sixers nice offensive lifts, too, and with the three-point shooting luck that did not exist the night prior, it all coalesced into a beautiful picture that finally looked more like the early-season Sixers that were capturing hearts and captivating minds. Edgecombe had a particularly noteworthy three-point shooting performance, the best of his career and an encouraging sign for the Sixers given his recent struggles from beyond the arc.

If this shot is going in, it is a good night:

What a way to set a new career-high for triples! VJ Edgecombe now with SIX from long range 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9CFYcP9kpE

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) February 23, 2026

Perhaps the biggest relief of all for the Sixers: they returned to the floor out of halftime leading by 10 points, and in the third quarter… they extended their lead. The Sixers outscored Minnesota in the third quarter, 26-20, and only built on that effort in the final frame, putting the game away for good.

4 points in under 10 seconds for Tyrese Maxey ✨ pic.twitter.com/qP5MYRCjRI

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) February 23, 2026

Johni Broome's disappointing rookie season is likely over

Five hours before tipping off on Sunday, the Sixers unveiled their injury report for this game. And beyond the disappointment of Embiid remaining out, there was a surprising listing: rookie big Johni Broome was out with a right knee meniscus tear. Moments later, the Sixers issued the following update:

"Johni Broome suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee during the third quarter of yesterday’s Blue Coats’ game. Broome will consult with medical professionals to determine the next steps of his treatment plan. Further updates will be provided as appropriate."

With about seven weeks remaining in the regular season, the math is pretty simple – and it suggests that Broome's rookie season is over. If that logic is not enough, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, reporting from Minneapolis, said before Sunday's game that Nurse acknowledged Broome would "probably" miss the remainder of the season.

For Broome, the No. 35 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, it will be a lost season to kick off his professional career – unquestionably a troubling outcome for a player who entered the league at 23 years old. Broome played in NBA 11 games for the Sixers this year – none of those appearances were true rotation entries – and only 55 minutes. While it is difficult to take much away from a tiny sample almost entirely comprised of minutes played in garbage time, Broome shot just 4-for-24 from the field with the Sixers this season.

Broome spent much of his rookie year playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, something Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey forecasted to some degree over the summer. Morey rejected the notion that there was more pressure on Broome to find his way in the league early on due to his age, but did posit that the team expected Broome to look like a viable rotation big by the end of his first season.

The closest Broome ever got to being in the rotation: one November game in Brooklyn, Andre Drummond went down with a knee injury, the Nets forced all three of Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona and Jabari Walker into first-half foul trouble, and Broome ended up logging seven minutes and change of action.

Broome's story is far from over. But for a player drafted early in the second round who is more than three years older than some of his draft classmates, showing zero signs of promise at the NBA level over the course of a rookie season is not ideal. To be fair to the Sixers, not many hits have emerged so far from June's crop of second-round picks, but what has transpired this season does not bode well for Broome's future.

Odds and ends

Two additional notes:

• With Broome down and George still sidelined for more than a month due to his suspension, the Sixers will be able to activate at least two of their two-way players every night while George is still unavailable. On paper, the biggest beneficiary of this is MarJon Beauchamp, who has more remaining games of availability on his two-way deal than the Sixers do games left on their schedule. Tyrese Martin and Dalen Terry, both active on Sunday over Beauchamp, have dwindling days of availability.

• The highlight of the night: this left-handed poster slam from Maxey over two Timberwolves defenders: an elite defender in McDaniels and his friend Anthony Edwards, a superstar in his own right:

Maxey poster 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/gWZq1X37JK

— Dre (@DreDaaayyy) February 23, 2026

Up next: The Sixers' three-game road trip will conclude on Tuesday night when they face the Indiana Pacers.

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