Edwards Ignites Timberwolves to Take Series Lead
SAN FRANCISCO – After a complicated first half, where they were outmatched in the battle for rebounds, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards spoke up in the locker room, sparking a spectacular comeback in the third quarter that led to a 117-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors, putting the Timberwolves up 3-1 in the second-round series.“I told them, ‘We only have two wins,’” Edwards recalled after Monday’s Game 4. “I’ve never seen a series end 2-1. I told them we have to get two more wins and right now we’re playing like we already have four wins. … We had to fix it because if we kept playing like that, we would have lost tonight.”
Anthony Edwards
Edwards led the charge after the break, scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, almost single-handedly matching the Warriors’ total for the quarter. Minnesota won the quarter 39-17, the largest positive differential for a quarter in Wolves playoff history.
While Edwards was driving the offense, Minnesota’s defense limited Golden State to 7 of 19 shots (36.8%) and outrebounded the Warriors 10-5, after being outrebounded 25-15 in the first half.
“He was one of the guys who spoke up the most at halftime,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said of Edwards. “He recognized what was going on and that we needed to be better. Really, it all started with him and setting the tone.”
Chris Finch
Edwards finished with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field and five assists. Veteran forward Julius Randle scored 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field and five rebounds.
Both have been pillars of Minnesota’s production in the Wolves’ 7-2 record so far in the postseason.
Randle, 30, gave all the credit to Edwards, 23.
“I know it starts with us, but it’s Ant,” Randle said. “Ant is the brightest star in the room… He has that ‘it’ factor. For me, I always try to tell him to be great.”
Julius Randle
It was Edwards’ second straight 30-point effort in the Western Conference semifinals and his third of the playoffs, as the Wolves won Games 3 and 4 at the Chase Center to create an opportunity to close out the series in Game 5 on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Jaden McDaniels added 10 points and a career playoff-high 13 rebounds, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field off the bench, as the Wolves managed to limit Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to a combined nine points after halftime, after they scored 27 together in the first half.
Now, the Wolves will look to bring the same urgency they found in the third quarter from Wednesday’s tip-off, with the opportunity to reach the conference finals for the second consecutive year.
“For us, it’s about defending home court, being better than that and growing,” Alexander-Walker said. “This is far from over. This is going to be harder than the first three. It’s about having that focus to do what we need to do to get it done.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
