The Minnesota Timberwolves handed the Boston Celtics their first loss of the season last night. Winning 114-109 in overtime, the T-Wolves got to see a particularly impressive performance from Anthony Edwards. The 22-year-old guard had a great game on the offensive end, but an even better one on the defensive end of the floor.
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ANT was given the charge of guarding the Celtics’ centerpiece Jayson Tatum. As the two best players on their respective teams, this was not that surprising. In fact, the two were jawing at each other the entire game. So much so, that Edwards was relishing the defensive assignment by the time overtime rolled in.
As Edwards revealed in the post-game press conference, Tatum was “talkin smack” at the jump ball, which further fueled his competitiveness. This led to an isolation play where the 2023 All-Star managed to pressure Tatum into making a mistake. “He [Tatum] got the stop on me at the end of the game. And he was talkin smack at the jump ball at overtime,” said Edwards.
“And I told him, ‘I’m comin again’. Luckily, he called me up for an iso and tried to iso me, and I’m like, ‘I play defense, I just got five fouls’. So I had to show him I could play defense,” ANT added.
Anthony Edwards when asked about accepting the challenge of guarding Jayson Tatum:
“He got the stop on me at the end of the game. And he was talkin smack at the jump ball at overtime. And I told him, ‘I’m comin again’. Luckily, he called me up for an iso and tried to iso me, and… pic.twitter.com/lWUeR41HDm
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) November 7, 2023
As the clip clearly shows, Edwards locked down Tatum outside the arc when he was trying to get his shot off with three and a half minutes left in OT. However, Ant not only ended up locking down Tatum, he also managed to almost force a turnover before the referee stopped the play. Edwards finished with a staggering 38 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds. Thanks to his heroics on the court, the Timberwolves are now in a respectable position in the West with a record of 4-2.
At the end of the day, his beef with Tatum on the court aside, Edwards acknowledged the Celtics star to be a great player. But last night, he just had to show Tatum that he could play defense.
Anthony Edwards credited Jaden McDaniels for the win against the Boston Celtics
It was a tough night for Anthony Edwards. Towards the end of the game, he was already on five fouls. Yet, he continued to play defense aggressively, never letting up for a second. Couple that with his dominant offensive performance, and it’s no wonder the T-Wolves came away with the win.
However, humble as ever, ANT credited his teammate Jaden McDaniels for the win. Despite starting off poorly, shooting 1/9 from the field, McDaniels came in clutch during the fourth quarter and OT. He would go on to make 6/8 after that, helping the team to victory.
“Jaden McDaniels was the reason we won the game tonight” – Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/j7EqA8AP4V
— The Daily Wolves (@TheDailyWolves) November 7, 2023
Nevertheless, Edwards’ contributions were not forgotten. Head Coach Chris Finch praised the youngster for his work rate on both ends of the court. He spoke about how it’s rare to have a player who likes “the moment”, and the Timberwolves are lucky to have one in ANT.
For the most part, it’s hard not to agree with him. Edwards is an exceptionally talented player and is sure to become an all-time great if he continues down the same path. Hopefully, while winning a few championships along the way.
