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Anthony Edwards’ awe-inspiring block rescues Timberwolves: ‘I never jumped that high in my life’

Game RecapBy No Comments8 Mins Read
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Hanging 10 feet in the air, this orange edge of Gainbridge Fieldhouse was the only thing stopping Anthony Edwards.

As the Minnesota Timberwolves The star flew towards the goal with chaos in mind, it just kept rising. Indiana Pacers Before Aaron Nesmith was at the basket in the final seconds, needing a bucket to tie the game and send it to overtime. Edwards had just missed a big free throw, and he was determined to make sure the game ended right then and there.

“I saw him with the lane, I knew he was going to make the layup, and I was like, ‘I’m going to go get that,'” Edwards told Bally Sports North.

He walked down the aisle and stood up in such thin air that he didn’t block Nesmith’s layup with his fingertips or even the palm of his hand. He received the heel strike with his left hand. He might have gained even more altitude if his head hadn’t hit the edge to prevent him from climbing.

“I’ve never jumped that high in my life,” he said.

Consider the bump on his head a trophy for a well-deserved victory. The same day, they learned that they would be without Cities of Karl-Anthony since more than a month due to a torn left meniscus, the Wolves had given up a 17-point lead in the second quarter and were in danger of losing another close game. But Edwards scored 44 points before delivering one of the most impressive blocked shots the Wolves have ever seen in a game. 113-111 victory at Indiana.

“We know that’s how he’s wired. He likes that. He wants this. He’s not afraid of that,” coach Chris Finch said after the game. “Then it’s about making the right plays and making shots along the way. He did both tonight.

The Wolves (44-19) remained with a half-game lead Oklahoma City as the No. 1 team in the Western Conference. Rudy Gobert added 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks and Jaden McDaniels had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. But without Edwards, the Wolves never could have scored enough to keep pace with Indiana, the second-fastest team in the league.

Without him, they never would have pulled this one off. Edwards blocked two shots, made two steals, grabbed six rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over once in nearly 39 minutes, tying Kevin Garnett in 2007 for the most points by a Wolves player in a game without gift.

The last time Edwards was in Indianapolis for the All-Star Game, he became one of the faces of the weekend’s disaster from a competitive standpoint. He shot left-handed 3-pointers off the side of the backboard in the skills contest and then didn’t seem at all interested in playing much in the game itself. When he spoke afterward, his frank observation of the All-Star Game as a farce in the eyes of the players said it all.

“It’s a break,” Edwards then said. “I don’t think anyone wants to come here and compete.”

That laissez-faire attitude was nowhere to be found Thursday in Indianapolis. Unlike the All-Star Game, this one mattered. Edwards’ team has been in shock since returning from the break. The Wolves went 4-3 on their seven-game homestand, with a sloppy fourth-quarter attack causing them to face the Los Angeles Clippers And Kings of Sacramento.

Then came the news Thursday that Towns needed knee surgery. He will be re-evaluated in a month, the team said, but it appears unlikely he will return to the field before the end of the regular season on April 14. Towns played a crucial role in the team’s unexpected success this season. He earned his fourth All-Star bid for his efficient offense and ability to defend as a power forward, something many doubted when the Timberwolves acquired Gobert to build a tall frontcourt.

Losing him is a big blow, especially for a team that has been lackluster offensively for most of the season. They entered the night against Indiana ranked 18th in offensive rating. Removing arguably the team’s best offensive player helped reduce that number even further. At least for one night, Edwards wouldn’t allow it. The spotlight was on him and he responded with his best game of the season.

“I still want it. I want all the responsibility that comes with winning,” Edwards said. “It doesn’t start with me. It starts with Finchy and the coaching staff. They did a great job with the game plan, and we executed it and came out on top.

He had a scowl on his face for much of the night, a fire in his eyes that hadn’t been there since the Wolves returned from the All-Star break. He shot 42.6 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range in those seven games, and the ferocity he showed on defense was also missing. The affair reached its climax Monday evening against Portland when Edwards was late to the first tip, forcing Finch to put Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the starting lineup.

Edwards’ girlfriend had given birth to the couple’s first child a few days earlier and Edwards, understandably, didn’t seem to have his head completely in the game.

On Thursday, he had to leave the game against the Pacers when he rolled his left ankle after stepping on Nesmith 16 seconds into the game. He returned to the locker room in the second quarter after falling. As he always seems to doEdwards shook it off and kept coming for the Pacers.

With McDaniels and Kyle Anderson in difficulty and Mike Conley just 2 of 9, Edwards had to put the entire offense on the line his town of Oakland shoulders. He made a game-high 35 shots, making 18 of them. The Timberwolves led by 17 points in the first half, but the Pacers came back into the game and tied it at 83 heading into the fourth quarter. With the team seemingly running on steam, Edwards pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. He scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including Minnesota’s last eight games.

“I found my second wind at the end of that fourth and it was over,” Edwards said. “Once I found my second wind, I knew no one could stop me.”

He hit the Pacers from all angles. First there was the 3 played from the top of the key, in a draw with just over a minute to go.

Not enough for you? How about turning Nesmith, a tough defender, in Bryon Russell when Edwards stopped on short notice, watched Nesmith fly just wide, then drilled a free-throw line jumper.

If you like a little more creativity and ingenuity in shooting, Edwards can offer you a one-handed angled shot with the 6-foot-8. Pascal Siakam right on his tail.

It was the kind of hero cliché that can sometimes go wrong for Edwards. The 22-year-old can sometimes want too much, and that ambition doesn’t blind him, but it can give him the kind of tunnel vision that causes the offense to stagnate. But the way things were going Thursday night, the Timberwolves needed a hero, so Edwards donned his cape.

The pressure on his shoulders didn’t exhaust him, it empowered him. As the Timberwolves’ court shook beneath their feet, Edwards found the pitch that helped the Timberwolves rise to the top of the conference in the first place.

“Everything was really decisive,” Finch said. “I thought he played really fast. It went down in straight lines. He arrived in his place.

The only thing that went wrong for him late was missing the second free throw with 7.2 seconds remaining, which would have given the Wolves a three-point lead and prevented the Pacers from winning the game in regulation time. It hit the front of the rim and rolled.

The Pacers have been blowing the doors off the rest of the league all season. Running is in their DNA, so it was second nature for Nesmith to take off as soon as possible. Myles Turner grabbed the rebound. Tyrese Haliburton threw a forward pass that hit Nesmith in stride, and all that stood between him and a game-tying layup was Conley.

Nesmith stepped up but had no idea Edwards was watching him all the way down the field. After Edwards smothered the shot, Nesmith sat under the basket, agape and a blank look in his eyes. He couldn’t believe Edwards had climbed so high. Edwards couldn’t believe it himself.

Believe that. So goes the tagline for the release of Edwards’ signature AE1 shoe. He’s been saying it since the shoe went on sale in December. Now he lives it.

By the end of the match, Edwards’ wrist was sore from the hard landing he made after the block. He had a headache from the collision with the goal.

“It hurts a lot,” he said.

He said it with a big smile on his face. This kind of pain doesn’t hurt. This kind of pain is the price of glory, and he will pay it again and again. There are few highs in Timberwolves history, but Edwards just provided one that rivals any other single play in the franchise’s 35-year history.

That rim is 10 feet high in the air, but that has nothing to do with Anthony Edwards. His aspirations for this Timberwolves season are much higher than that.

(Photo by Anthony Edwards: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)

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