MINNEAPOLIS -- Karl-Anthony Towns got the best of Joel Embiid in the first matchup between two of the NBA's preeminent young big men, as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the 76ers, 110-86.
Towns scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves (4-7) for his sixth double-double of the season. The reigning Rookie of the Year faced Ersan Ilyasova most of the night, while center Gorgui Dieng guarded Embiid, who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes.
Towns blew past Embiid for a one-handed slam dunk midway through the fourth quarter in one of their few one-on-one matchups.
Andrew Wiggins led the Timberwolves with 35 points, including 19 points on 8 for 9 shooting in the first half, as Minnesota led the Sixers (2-10) by as much as 33.
Minnesota grabbed a 17-point lead early in the second quarter with a 10-0 run. The Timberwolves stretched their lead to 28 at halftime, thanks to a three-pointer by Wiggins with 0.6 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Sixers shot just 9 for 32 (28.1 percent) from three-point range and 37.3 percent from the floor. That included just 31 percent in the first half.
NBA
Dario Saric led the 76ers with 16 points on 6 for 11 shooting, while Nik Stauskas added 13 points on 4 for 8 shooting.
Key absences
Shabazz Muhammad missed his third straight game with a sore right knee for the Timberwolves.
Inside the box score
• Ilyasova scored 11 points on 5 for 12 shooting for the 76ers.
• Robert Covington struggled from the floor, going 1 for 12 and 0 for 7 from three-point range while scoring just four points.
• Dieng scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Minnesota, while Zach LaVine added 11 points.
• The Timberwolves shot 50.6 percent from the floor but just 23.1 percent from three-point range.
• The Timberwolves outrebounded the 76ers, 49-40.
Matchup of Kansas' Wiggins and Embiid
Wiggins and Embiid played for the University of Kansas together in 2013-14 and met for the first time as pros. Sixers head coach Brett Brown noted before the game how Wiggins, a third-year pro, has developed the ability to create his own shot.
"I just see the growth of his responsibility to the program, and he sure seems to be embracing that," Brown said.
Wiggins entered Thursday's game averaging a team-high 26.6 points per game, tied for ninth in the NBA. That included a 47-point game Sunday vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.
Up next
The Sixers will host Phoenix (3-9) Saturday. The Suns began November with a pair of overtime wins but have lost five of their past six games. Second-year guard Devin Booker leads the Suns in scoring at 20.5 points per game, followed by third-year forward T.J. Warren (19 ppg).