Heading into the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's game against the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards had just 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting. He was settling for threes that weren't going in and was struggling to make his usual impact on the action.
And then, as he so often does, he came to life when the Timberwolves needed him most. With Minnesota trailing by 11 almost halfway through the fourth quarter, Edwards scored 13 points over the remainder of the period, including two huge back-to-back threes with a little over two minutes on the clock.
ANT BACK-TO-BACK THREES TO GIVE THE TWOLVES THE LEAD 😱
HE HAS 13 PTS IN THE 4Q!!! pic.twitter.com/b6fYccLWlV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 2, 2025
He then scored six points in the first overtime period and five more in the second OT, helping will his team to a 140-139 victory in one of the most thrilling games of this entire NBA season. In total, Edwards finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists across 50 minutes.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was impressed.
"Ant-Man is one of the greatest shows in basketball," Smith said on First Take Wednesday morning. "And I'm gonna encourage the NBA and everybody involved to continue to watch this brother and put that brother on national television, because he is something to behold.
"We know, this brother, he goes airborne, it's a problem. Have you seen the way he works on his shot? Have you seen his jumper improve? ... I'm just watching his game, it's Jordanesque. You understand what I'm saying? And he shows up when it counts. He's one of those cats, if you're watching it on TV, you're looking at your clock, alright, game winding down, he's going to respond at some point. This is what he does."
"Ant-Man is one of the greatest shows in basketball." 😤 @stephenasmith calls Anthony Edwards' game "Jordan-esque" after the Wolves' 2OT win over the Nuggets 👀 pic.twitter.com/MmZ8XOsHcv
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 2, 2025
It's far from the first time the 23-year-old Edwards has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan. It's an unfair comparison, realistically, and one that Ant has dismissed in the past. But five years into his NBA career, he's shown that special ability to go to another level when the stakes are at their highest, particularly in the playoffs. That's what you want to see out of your franchise superstar. Edwards' transcendent talent — and his tendency to rise to the moment — is the biggest reason why the Wolves have a chance to once again be a very dangerous team in the postseason.
Ant is averaging 27.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists this season. He's likely going to be a second team All-NBA player for the second consecutive year. And his 292 three-pointers, which he's hit at a 39.4 percent rate, are tied with former teammate Malik Beasley for the NBA lead. It's been a special season for Minnesota's face of the franchise.