Sixers’ Jonah Bolden continues to make most of limited opportunities
The rookie had a standout offensive performance on Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS – You’ll never hear Jonah Bolden complaining about in his infrequent opportunities in the 76ers’ rotation.
The rookie knows opportunities will come around occasionally. So he’s focused on being ready for those moments and not worrying about the ones that never came.
The approach worked for Bolden and the Sixers in Saturday night’s 118-109 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.
The Australia native, who started in place of Joel Embiid (tendinitis, left knee), got the best of Minnesota two-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
It was Bolden’s best all-around game of the season.
He had career highs for points (19), field goals (7), field attempts (10), three-pointers (5), three-point attempts (7) and minutes (31:29). He also had 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks and graded out a game-best plus-22.
Towns, meanwhile, finished with 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting to go with 7 rebounds, 2 turnovers, and 1 block while posting a minus-16.
Bolden refused to take credit for Towns’ offensive struggles. Jimmy Butler, among others, provided a helping hand guarding the New Jersey native.
“Teamwork,” Bolden said. “It wasn’t an individual effort. I struggled a little bit at times, but team defense comes into play with working together.”
He, however, couldn’t deflect from his standout offensive performance.
He hit a huge three-pointer that put the Sixers (49-27) ahead, 114-105, with 2 minutes, 6 seconds remaining. He didn’t play like someone making just his third appearance over a stretch of nine games. And he only played 11:39 and 6:57, respectively, in those two games.
“It’s all about consistency, waiting for my opportunity,” said Bolden, who’s averaging 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 13.5 minutes in 39 appearances with seven starts. “My workouts, my practice routine hasn’t changed whether I’m playing, whether I’m not. That’s something that kind of worked well for me ... being consistent.
“I’m waiting for my opportunity. Whenever it comes, attack it.”
Korkmaz could return soon
Reserve swingman Furkan Korkmaz expects to be available to play soon.
The second-year player said he will be available for non-scrimmage contact drills by Tuesday or Wednesday. It’s one of the reasons why Korkmaz has accompanied the team on its current three-game road trip that concludes Wednesday night in Atlanta against the Hawks.
He had arthroscopic surgery on Feb. 26 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. Korkmaz has only been able to do light drills at 50 percent.
His return to game action will depend on how his body responds to the contact drills. If he feels good, the Sixers will add more to his workload to get him ready to play.
Korkmaz has missed 19 consecutive games.
He’s averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 14.2 minutes in 46 appearances with six starts.
Mavs on deck
The Sixers will make the second stop on their three-game road trip on Monday night in Dallas against the Mavericks. They’ll look to extend their winning streak over the Mavs (30-46) to five games. The Sixers beat the Mavericks, 106-100, on Jan. 5 at Wells Fargo Center.
Ben Simmons led the way with a triple-double, collecting 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Mavs guard Luka Doncic, the rookie of the year favorite, struggled, making just 4 of 16 shots (1-for-8 on three-pointers) to finish with 14 points and nine rebounds.