Anthony Edwards showed up against OKC when his team needed him the most in Game 3 in the Timberwolves’ 143-101 win.
In the first quarter alone, he dropped 16 points, outscoring the entire Thunder team (who had just 14).
He ended up with a game-high 30 points in just 30 minutes of play… and didn’t even need to touch the court in the fourth, with Minnesota already cruising on a 37-point lead.
“Just ultimate pressure on the ball and shoot it as much as I can,” Edwards said.
He was dialed in from the start, hitting 6 of 8 shots in the first quarter and finishing the game 12-for-17 overall. From deep, he went 5-for-8, and it wasn’t just scoring — he also chipped in nine boards, six assists, and a couple of steals.
That bounce-back came right after a rough shooting stretch to start the series, where he went just 4-for-17 from beyond the arc.
“I feel like the second game I was in a rhythm, it was just my trey ball wasn’t falling,” Edwards said. He led the league in made threes during the regular season, knocking down 320. “Just getting back in the gym, watching shots go in and just keep trusting it. That’s all.”
His coach was more than impressed.
“That’s what we need him to do, and when he does it, it takes us to another level,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “I thought that’s what was really big in the first quarter. He got a couple of those steals. He was all over the place. He knew that we needed that type of start from our defense, and he brought it. It was really, really good.”
Minnesota will host Game 4 on Monday back in Minnesota which has become somewhat of a fortress this postseason, since the Wolves have 5-1 there.
Before leaving the locker room at the end of the night, Edwards was asked if it feels like the series has changed.
“No,” Edwards said. “We’re still down. It’s just one win. Can’t get too high on it. Don’t get too low. Just got to try to win another one, man. This team, they’re the best team in the NBA.
“So, we got to be able to beat this team more than one time, and it’s going to be tough.”
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