Head-to-head: Embiid’s 76ers beat Wiggins’ T’wolves; Mason’s Kings top Jackson’s Suns

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21), of Cameroon, drives against Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Minneapolis. The 76ers won 118-112. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21), of Cameroon, drives against Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Minneapolis. The 76ers won 118-112. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

With so many Jayhwaks making a living in the NBA it’s not difficult on any given day to find a box score with a former Kansas basketball standout appearing for each team. But Tuesday night’s schedule provided a pair of reunions for one-time KU teammates who likely always will be tied together.

The brightest star associated with Kansas, Joel Embiid and his Sixers beat Andrew Wiggins’ Timberwolves in overtime, and one hard-nosed rookie picked up a win over another in Sacramento, where Frank Mason III’s Kings prevailed over Josh Jackson’s Suns.

Embiid’s greatness beamed down the stretch in Minneapolis, as he put up 28 points, 12 rebounds and a career-best 8 assists. Per ESPN, the last 76er center to hit those numbers in those categories was another famous Jayhawk, Wilt Chamberlain.

But Embiid’s individual production, he told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt during a post-game interview, wasn’t what made him most proud about the night.

“We fought back,” Embiid said of a
game that featured several lead
changes in the fourth quarter, before
Philadelphia won in OT, when Embiid
scored the first basket of the extra
period and later nailed a 3-pointer to
extend the lead to seven. “We went
down in the fourth and then we (faced)
some adversity and we won the game.”

The Sixers, so often maligned the past several years for not competing with the rest of the league, improved to 14-13 on the year and 7-7 on the road.

“We’re getting better. We’ve got a lot
of growing to do. We’ve been doing a
better job, especially this year,”
Embiid told Van Pelt, adding his first
three seasons with the organization —
two of which he missed with injuries —
were tough to swallow. “To be in this
type of position where we can actually
go into the game and know that we have
a chance to win and we’re going to win
is always great.”

One wouldn’t have known it from Embiid’s near triple-double in a career-high 39 minutes, but some back soreness forced him to miss Philly’s two previous games — road losses at New Orleans and Cleveland — and he was a game-time decision against Minnesota.

“I missed the last two games and I
don’t want to be that guy who’s always
missing games,” said Embiid, who has
played in 22 of 27 this year. “So I
pushed through and we got the win. I’m
excited to go back home and get some
more wins.”

Though fourth-year forward Wiggins has proven far more durable than Embiid, he didn’t impact the game as much as his fellow Jayhawk this night. Wiggins shot 8-for-24 from the floor and 1-for-7 on 3-pointers, while scoring 20 points and grabbing seven boards.

His most impressive highlight came when he stole a bad Embiid pass and scored over the 7-foot-2 center.

The Timberwolves dropped to 16-12 but currently occupy the No. 4 slot in the Western Conference standings. Philly (14-13) is tied with Detroit and New York for the seventh-best record in the East.

Sacramento Kings guard Frank Mason III, right, goes to the basket against Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Raptors won 102-87. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Unlike Embiid and Wiggins, neither Mason nor Jackson are likely to make their playoff debuts this season.

But Mason stayed on his recent upward trend, playing more minutes than Kings lottery pick De’Aaron Fox versus Phoenix.

Mason only shot 2-for-8 and scored 6 points, but he also contributed 4 rebounds, 4 assists and even a blocked shot of Suns guard Tyler Ullis.