Sixers defeat Timberwolves, 111-100

It's not often that a seven-year veteran will listen to a rookie, but before Friday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 76ers rookie Craig Brackins told Andre Iguodala to go out and get a triple-double.

Iguodala's response?

"I said, 'I got you,' " Iguodala recalled. "He thought I was joking."

His performance was no joke.

Iguodala collected 22 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds as the Sixers defeated the Timberwolves, 111-100, at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers are 31-30, bouncing back from Tuesday's 101-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. They have won 14 of their last 19 games.

Iguodala was given more ballhandling duties, serving almost like a second point guard. He continually broke down defenders while committing just two turnovers.

"We thought we saw a few things offensively, matchup-wise, we could exploit and try to do that, especially getting to the basket," Iguodala said. His triple-double was his second in six games after not having one since March 7, 2007. It was the sixth of his career.

He needed it to offset the effort of Kevin Love, the king of the double-double.

The 6-foot-10, 260-pound Love had 21 points and 23 rebounds for his 49th in a row.

Love is nearing Moses Malone's streak of 51 consecutive double-doubles set in 1978-79 but isn't yet in the zip code of Wilt Chamberlain, who recorded an NBA-best 227 consecutive double-doubles, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"Iguodala made a couple of big plays," Love said. "It was a good team effort by them."

The Sixers, who trailed by nine points after one quarter, got another big lift from Thaddeus Young, who had 16 points and eight rebounds while providing great energy off the bench after the Sixers got off to a lethargic start.

"After the first timeout, I told Lou [Williams], 'We have to put our hard hats on and get it going,' " Young said. "He looked at me and said, 'I know.' We came in with lot of energy."

Young was among several Sixers who had to guard Love for part of the game.

"It's a very tough matchup - I am not going to lie," Young said. "Any time a guy as big as him is trying to battle with a guy like me, it's definitely tough because he outweighs me by, like, 30 to 40 pounds and he is one of the best rebounders in the league, if not the best rebounder in the league."

Minnesota, which trailed by 14 points with less than four minutes to go in the third quarter, cut the lead to 101-100 when Episcopal Academy graduate Wayne Ellington hit a jumper with 2 minutes, 47 seconds left.

Elton Brand, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half, hit two straight jumpers on feeds from Iguodala to begin a 10-0 run that closed the game.

"This was one of our better wins of the year," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "That Minnesota team is playing well."

Playing well, with a 15-48 record?

"Their record says 15 wins," Collins said. "That team we played tonight is not a 15-win team. That is a very good basketball team."

The Wolves never gave in and continued to come back, making the Sixers work hard for the victory. A normal effort might not have won this game, but Iguodala made sure that wasn't the case.