It’s astonishing how one timely second-quarter shot can change the momentum of an NBA game.
That was true for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards in Game 4. He drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer right before halftime, cutting the Golden State Warriors’ lead to 60-58.
Edwards chirped and tugged on his jersey, showing pure emotion, as he headed off the Chase Center floor to Minnesota’s locker room at halftime.
“It’s like every time we are on a run, we’re letting Ant break the run up,” Draymond Green said about Ant’s timely shot-making. “Somebody can break the run up, but it can’t be their best player. Our defense should be so keyed in at that point during a run that it can’t be their best player that’s getting to his spots and raising up.
“I’m not just talking about that play. There were several points when we’re on a run, even last game, [Edwards] gets to the free throw line and just raises up. We have to do a better job there. And that’s not one guy, that’s a complete team effort when you’re guarding a guy like that.”
When the third quarter started, Ant picked up where he left off with his long-range shooting. He scored 16 of his 30 points in the period, and the Wolves outscored the Warriors 39-17 in the third. They coasted to a 117-110 victory.
“Ant got going and we decided to go to a bigger lineup with JK (Jonathan Kuminga), Trayce (Jackson-Davis), Draymond, Jimmy, just to try and slow them down, slow Ant down,” Steve Kerr said after the game. “Obviously, it didn’t work. They kept scoring, and we couldn’t score. We just lost our ability to connect the game in that third quarter, and they got loose, and that was the difference in the game.”
Kerr coached Edwards with the USA Basketball team in the past two summers, and last summer, he won a gold medal in the Olympics with Stephen Curry. Ant soaked up all those six weeks with the NBA’s greatest shooter alongside him, which has helped propel him into the shooter he is today. This year, he has made an NBA-leading 320 3-pointers.
“This has been an amazing shooting year for him. Shooting as many as he is. I think 10 or 11 per game. That’s way up from his first few years in the league,” added Kerr. “I think the last couple summers have been great for him with USA Basketball.
Working out every day with all those guys. Chris (Finch) has done a great job with him, with that team. It’s a natural progression for Anthony to be doing what he’s doing, given how talented he is and what a good of a shooter he is. His 3’s obviously he hit some really tough ones tonight. The one at the end of the first half was incredible. He’s a great player, and we got to try and slow him down in Game 5.
That’s one of the really fun parts of that whole experience (USA Basketball) is seeing all these world class players feed off each other. Ant was right in the middle of all that. With Steph, Bam (Adebayo), Book (Devin Booker). All those guys would shoot after practice everyday… he was already a great player, but I think the experience probably helped him and his shooting has dramatically improved volume-wise, percentage-wise.
As good as Edwards is, he rarely talks about himself. He’s too busy dropping his jaw over hearing that Julius Randle had a triple-double in Game 3 or bragging about Randle’s playoff career-high 31 points in Game 4. Or wowing over Rudy Gobert’s big rebounding game against the Lakers, applauding Jaden McDaniels for his hustle, Naz Reid’s firepower off the bench, or any other Timberwolves player. Ant has made it very clear that he is his teammates’ biggest fan.
“That’s what it’s about, man. You want to see your teammates succeed, want to see your teammates shine,” said a proud Edwards. “Not even my teammates, my brothers. We go into battle every night, we play 82 games, we’re with each other eight or nine months out of the year.
“Those guys are like my brothers, there’s nothing like seeing them compete and produce at a high level, because that makes everyone happy. I can’t wait to come in here and praise them every time, every chance I get. I know everybody wants to give me the credit, but I can’t do it without those guys. They’re the MVPs every night. Every single night. They come and play, they play their balls off, and I can’t ask for anything better.”
The Timberwolves are up 3-1 in the series and head back to Minneapolis for a chance to close it out, but this Kerr-trained Warriors team is no stranger to a 3-1 series. They overcame a 3-1 deficit to the 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder and blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals that same year to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Edwards’ shooting mentor Curry could return for Game 5.