Anthony Edwards outduels Nikola Jokic as Wolves take Game 1

DENVER — For those who requested one other younger star what it felt like to enter the defending champs’ constructing and put up a profession playoff excessive 43 factors in a 106-99 Sport 1 win to kick off the second spherical, he would possibly name it an announcement efficiency.

If he was actually feeling himself, he would possibly say Saturday represented a seismic shift within the steadiness of energy within the Western Convention with the Minnesota Timberwolves stealing homecourt away from the Denver Nuggets.

Nonetheless, the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards is not like every other younger star in the present day. He won’t be like every other younger star in league historical past.

“It isn’t about introducing ourselves to no one, we all know who we’re,” Edwards stated when requested about Minnesota taking part in previous the primary spherical of the playoffs for the primary time in 20 years. “We’re popping out and so long as we acquired one another’s backs, it do not actually matter what anyone else thinks.”

Edwards joked that he won’t even have been born but when Kevin Garnett and the Wolves beat the Sacramento Kings within the second spherical in 2004 to make the one convention finals look in franchise historical past.

No matter previous woes that Wolves have had within the postseason, the present workforce is having a second. They’re now 5-0 within the playoffs, together with their sweep of the Phoenix Suns within the first spherical, with Edwards becoming a member of Kobe Bryant as the one different participant in NBA postseason historical past with consecutive 40-point performances at age 22 or youthful, based on ESPN Stats & Info analysis.

Edward’s 119 factors over his final three playoff video games are probably the most by a Wolves participant over a three-game span within the workforce’s postseason historical past. And he did it Saturday by outplaying the reigning NBA Finals MVP — and a top-three finalist for the common season MVP this yr — in Nikola Jokic.

“To be sincere he is a particular participant, I’ve big respect for him, he can do every little thing on the ground,” Jokic stated of Edwards. “It’s worthwhile to give him respect, how good and the way gifted he’s.”

Jokic completed with 32 factors, 9 assists, eight rebounds and three steals, however he shot simply 11-for-25 from the sector (2-for-9 from 3) and coughed up a game-high seven turnovers. When requested about how he may very well be higher in opposition to the Wolves’ three-headed frontline of Karl-Anthony Cities, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid in Sport 2, he quipped he would wish to “have a replica clone of myself.”

Edwards, in the meantime, shot 17-for-29 with seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks and only one turnover. Much more exceptional, he shot 7-for-10 on closely contested soar pictures in Sport 1, based on Second Spectrum. This postseason, he is taking pictures 53% on closely contested jumpers, the very best within the NBA.

Regardless of the disparity in manufacturing between the 2 stars, Edwards nonetheless deferred to the opponent, whereas giving credit score to his teammates for the end result.

“Going in opposition to the very best participant on the earth is at all times enjoyable, going in opposition to the very best workforce on the earth is at all times enjoyable,” Edwards stated. “Our guys got here out and competed tonight. So, it is not about me personally, it is about my workforce. They offer me confidence additionally.”

Edwards was good from the sector to start out issues off, going 5-for-5 throughout the Wolves’ 18-4 run within the first seven minutes of the primary quarter. The Nuggets battled again to take a 44-40 lead by halftime, holding each Minnesota participant aside from Edwards to simply 6-for-27 taking pictures (22.2%). The Wolves pushed again forward within the third whereas Edwards stated he “did not do something” and “was simply on the market working up and down” whereas Karl-Anthony Cities went 5-for-5 to attain 11 of his 20 factors and Mike Conley went 4-for-4 to attain 11 of his 14.

The fourth belonged to Edwards and Naz Reid, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the 12 months. Edwards, who was held scoreless within the fourth quarter in each of the Wolves’ common season losses to Denver, scored 12 factors on 4-for-5 taking pictures to shut issues out. Reid scored 14 of his 16 within the fourth — together with 10 straight for the Wolves — to seal it.

“For a man like me who’s seen him develop from Day 1 to the place he’s now, I feel he is a famous person within the making if he is not [already] now,” Reid stated of Edwards. “He is an incredible participant and an incredible particular person off the court docket. … He is a man you need to be round.”

And Minnesota plans to stay across the playoffs for some time to come back, as evidenced by the “11” written in massive black numerals on the whiteboard within the customer’s locker room at Ball Area after the sport. It represents the variety of wins the Wolves nonetheless have to seize the primary championship in workforce historical past this spring.

“He is been rising day by day, he is been getting extra mature each single night time,” Gobert stated of Edwards. “So it is enjoyable to be part of.”