JOEL Embiid scored 24 points on his return from injury as his Philadelphia 76ers side beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-113.
Embiid missed 10 games with a bone bruise in his left knee and was rusty on his comeback, missing all of his three-point attempts.
The win sent the 76ers back to the top of the Eastern Conference, level with the Brooklyn Nets.
Western Conference leaders the Utah Jazz beat the Orlando Magic 137-91. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, including six three-pointers, as the Jazz won their ninth successive game. They set an NBA record with 18 three-pointers in the first half, surpassing the Golden State Warriors’ previous best of 17 from 2018.

Luka Doncic finished with 26 points as the Dallas Mavericks went four games unbeaten with a 109-87 win over the Washington Wizards.
The Portland Trail Blazers cruised past the Oklahoma City Thunder 133-85 with CJ McCollum scoring 20 points in just 26 minutes.
There was a comfortable victory too for the New York Knicks as they eased past the Detroit Pistons 125-81, while the Miami Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-101. The Milwaukee Bucks, without star man Giannis Antetokounmpo, edged a 129-128 win over the Sacramento Kings, and the Indiana Pacers needed overtime to beat the San Antonio Spurs 139-133.(BBC Sport)