On February 26, Beijing time, the Philadelphia 76ers challenged the Timberwolves away, Harden ushered in the debut of the new team, and partners Embiid, Sebel, Harris and Maxi entered the starting lineup.
Harden, wearing the No. 1 jersey, did not rush to show himself at first, trying to connect the team through the pass, until there were 8 minutes left in the first quarter, Harden launched his first single, breaking through the basket to successfully play 2+1. The new teammates were also very angry, Embiid made consecutive fouls to go to the free throw line, Maxi shot, Harris chased the three points, and the 76ers exploded a dream 16-6 start to stop the Timberwolves.
After the timeout, the Timberwolves scored four straight points, and Philadelphia went into the rotation to take Harden. The Emperor continued to make free throws, and then Maxi, Embiid, Niang, and Danny Green hit four consecutive three-pointers, and the 76ers led to 11 points and entered the timeout again.
In the final stage of the first quarter, Harden returned to the basket to make two fouls, and Millsap, who was also the debut, made two fouls, and the first quarter ended, and the 76ers led the Timberwolves by 9 points 34-25.
Throughout the first quarter, Harden had 5 points and 1 assist on 1-of-2 shooting, Maxi had 6 points, 1 assist and 2 steals, and Embiid sent 10 points and 6 boards on 7-of-5 free throws. On the Timberwolves side, Towns and Russell both scored 8 points, and Edwards scored zero.