Anthony Edwards
Getty
Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves scored no points in the fourth quarter of Game 1.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were dominated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half of Game 1 on Monday night.
Minnesota’s star player Anthony Edwards finished the game with just 18 points, and his scoreless fourth quarter played a part in his team losing the opening game of the Western Conference Finals.
Following the game, nine-year NBA veteran Chandler Parsons spoke about Edwards on his show, Run It Back.
Edwards Not Playing ‘Like a Star’
Edwards finished the game with 18 points, making just five of his 13 shots. He was a team-low -23 while on the court, and despite leading the team in minutes, wasn’t Minnesota’s most impactful player. He also failed to score in the fourth quarter, taking just one shot attempt.
His performance didn’t come close to meeting the mark of his superstar counterpart across the court in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder guard ended the game with 31 points, nine rebounds, with a team-high +33 in his 38 minutes the floor.
“He plays at his own pace. You can’t speed him up,” Parsons said on Gilgeous-Alexander. “It is such a luxury to have a guy like that.”
Even with Edwards’ strong showing in the postseason so far, his Game 1 numbers weren’t near his averages through the first 10 games. His 18 points were the second-lowest of these playoffs, and his -23 was his lowest by far.
NBACentral
Anthony Edwards in the 4th quarter:
0 points
0/1 FG
-11
(Via @realapp_ )
Much of that was due to the defense pressure put on by the Thunder, including a massive role played by Alex Caruso. He put heavy pressure on Edwards, forcing him into making mistakes and find other ways to impact the game besides scoring.
Minnesota’s Collapse Under Pressure
The Timberwolves had a 48-44 advantage at halftime. They were playing well against the NBA’s best regular season team, and looked to have a good chance at pulling off the Game 1 win on the road.
However, they were outscored by 30 points in the second half, in what was tied for their second-lowest scoring game of the playoffs. Minnesota ended the game shooting just 34.9% from the field and 29.4% from three.
Parsons criticized Edwards for not performing like a superstar in the first game of the series. While he failed to have an efficient scoring night and command the offense when they needed it most, his superstar rival looked up to the task.
“You rarely see a 10-0, 12-0, 14-0 runs against the Thunder,” Parsons said. “It’s because he (Gilgeous-Alexander) will just put an end to it right away and draw a foul and frustrate the defense.”
Both Minnesota and Oklahoma City will need both of their stars to perform at a high level if they want to reach the NBA Finals. As it stands after Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have the edge.