Minnesota sports activities postponed
JOEL Embiid had 36 points and seven rebounds to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the host Dallas Mavericks (113-95) on Monday.
Embiid was 10 of 17 from the field and 14 of 15 from the free-throw line in only 26 minutes.
Furkan Korkmaz added 20 points in just 18 minutes off the bench while Tobias Harris and Shake Milton contributed 10 each for the Sixers.
With the win, Philadelphia moved past the Brooklyn Nets and back into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Luka Dončić led the Mavericks with 32 points, his 19th game this season with at least 30, while Jalen Brunson added 15. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Mavericks played without Kristaps Porziņģis, who was resting while recovering from a recent knee injury. Dallas fell to 9-10 this season when Porziņģis doesn’t play.
Embiid, who made his first eight free throws, dropped in 1 of 2 with 3:29 remaining in the second quarter to give the Sixers a 51-44 lead.
Embiid carried the Sixers with 23 on their way to a 60-48 advantage at half time. It was the 21st time this season that Embiid has scored at least 20 in the first half.
Without Porziņģis, the Mavericks looked to be out of sync offensively for much of the half. Dončić led the way with 20, but the Mavericks shot just 39%.
When Seth Curry hit a deep 3-pointer with 8:21 left in the third, the Sixers extended their lead to 72-55.
Dallas, which missed 10 consecutive three-pointers during one long stretch, fell behind 88-69 at the end of the third.
The Sixers controlled the tempo in the opening few minutes of the fourth and moved ahead 95-74 following a trey by Korkmaz.
Doncic knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:25 remaining, but the Mavericks still trailed 101-83.
Dallas did close within 104-91 when rookie Josh Green threw down a dunk with 3:45 to go, but Dwight Howard responded with a dunk on the Sixers’ next possession.
MINNESOTA SPORTS
Meanwhile, professional sports in Minneapolis were effectively suspended on Monday following the fatal police shooting of a 20-year-old Black man in the suburb of Brooklyn Center and subsequent outcry.
Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Minnesota Twins, National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) were all set to play at home on Monday.
The shooting on Sunday of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop led to protests through early Monday morning in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
The city’s police chief said the shooting appeared to be an “accidental discharge” after the officer drew her gun instead of her Taser during a struggle.
The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul on Monday declared a state of emergency and set a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Following that announcement, the NHL and the Wild released a joint statement that they were postponing Monday night’s game with the St. Louis Blues. The game was rescheduled for May 12.
The NBA said it decided after consultation with the Timberwolves as well as state and local officials that a game between the Minneapolis team and the Brooklyn Nets would also be postponed. — Reuters
