The Minnesota Timberwolves struggled with energy in the first half of their Game 3 win against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. Although Julius Randle contributed 13 points to keep the team afloat, he received minimal offensive support, allowing the short-handed Warriors, playing without their primary scorer Stephen Curry, to hold a two-point advantage at halftime.
This sluggish play continued into the third quarter, with the Wolves still trailing but remaining close enough to potentially shift the momentum of the game.
This is precisely when Anthony Edwards took charge.
Edwards had scored only eight points by halftime and continued to struggle through the initial part of the third quarter. However, he then netted eight consecutive points for Minnesota, with the final basket regaining the lead for the Wolves.
He finished the third quarter with 15 of his total 36 points, highlighted by a spectacular, posterizing dunk over Warriors big man Kevon Looney in the final minute of the period.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch commented on the dunk, stating, “It doesn`t surprise me anymore when I see his spectacular plays. It just infuses our group with so much energy. He kind of gets going too, and we really need that from him. He`s been working hard on finishing, he knows that there`s opportunities to get to the rim against these guys with their lack of size at times, and he`s been on himself to finish better. That was kind of, I think, his message to himself.”
Edwards` impact carried into the fourth quarter, where he increased the difficulty of his shots. His performance across the third and fourth quarters showcased his offensive versatility. In the third, he leveraged his athleticism and power to attack the basket and complete challenging layups, capitalizing on the Warriors` weaker interior defense. Seven out of his ten shot attempts in the third quarter came from inside the paint.
He became effective off the ball, using moments when his defender was inattentive to cut to the rim for tough finishes.
Using his explosive speed, he drove downhill and stopped sharply for pull-up floaters.
He also excelled in one-on-one situations, utilizing a quick first step to get defenders like Jimmy Butler on his hip before attacking the basket.
Edwards reflected on his approach after the win: “It`s kind of crazy because teams don`t usually want me to get to the hole. Now they don`t want me to shoot 3s, step-back 3s. Just trying to find that balance, man. Like Mike [Conley] say, not being thirsty all the time. Setting screens, finding my teammates, getting it through actions. I think just playing off the ball is better for me playing versus this team because everyone is locked in on the game plan. They`ve got a pretty good group of guys that`s locked in on the game plan. They`re a championship team, and they don`t make too many game plan mistakes.”
While the third quarter highlighted Edwards` known ability to drive, the fourth quarter saw him stretch the defense and hit several contested three-pointers, helping to close the gap on Golden State`s lead:
…ultimately putting his team ahead for good.
Finch praised Edwards` start and adjustment: “I like the way he started [the game]. I thought he was aggressive and doing the right things. The first half, when he was putting the ball on the deck, he was drawing such a crowd we were actually able to find some cleaner looks. But he really got himself going with the dunk. We needed to spread the floor for him a bit more. He needed to just go downhill. I thought there was, again, too much traffic around him at times, and we just needed to kind of open up the floor for him.”
Even facing a depleted Warriors squad, the Timberwolves relied on Edwards to dominate the game to secure the win. While Minnesota would have preferred a less contested affair, having a player like Edwards who can elevate his game and take over when needed is undoubtedly a valuable asset the Wolves are fortunate to possess.
Jasper Hawthorne