INDIANAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards glanced down at the box score following the Timberwolves' 129-120 victory over the Pacers, and the first thing that caught his eye was his free-throw shooting: 4-for-7.
Healthy Anthony Edwards, no longer 'mad at the world,' leads Timberwolves over Indiana
Edwards scores 37 points and the Wolves shot 52.9% on three-pointers (18-for-34) to make up for defensive shortcomings.
February 14, 2022 at 12:18PM
"Damn. 4-for-7 from the free-throw line. Could've had a 40-ball," Edwards said. "It's all good, though. Got the win."
That the Wolves did, and Edwards was a large reason why. Shooting, leaping and driving on what he says is a freshly-recovered left knee, Edwards refused to let the Wolves give away Sunday's game, though they tried to at various points.
He scored 37 points, had five rebounds, four assists, four steals and never let the Pacers retake the lead in the second half even after Indiana cut an 18-point Wolves lead to two.
The bounce he had was evident, and he said the bounce in his personality is back after playing through the left knee tendinopathy for the past six weeks.
"When I was dealing with that month and a half, I was super depressed, talking to my girl, just … mad at the world," Edwards said. "Now I'm back to 100%, I'm back to being a happy kid again."
Edwards' big day began after the starters had a slow stretch to begin the game. The Wolves fell behind 27-17, with Edwards coming out early to rest so he could play with the second unit later in the quarter.
That group played the best basketball of the afternoon for the Wolves. They turned that 10-point deficit into a 56-44 lead in the second. Edwards attacked the rim on seemingly every possession, and it got him and his teammates rolling. That stretch included one of Edwards' typically thunderous dunks as Indiana's Buddy Hield just tried to get out of the way. That, Edwards said, was evidence of how good he's feeling.
"I was attacking the rim but I couldn't finish because I couldn't jump over nobody," Edwards said. "Majority of the time those were dunks, but I couldn't dunk the ball off either leg. So today, I dunked the ball twice, and it felt good."
The Wolves extended their lead to 18 in the third quarter before Indiana chopped it down to as close as two. The Pacers never retook the lead. Edwards helped make sure of that. He came up with a key three or drive to the basket whenever the Wolves needed it.
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In the fourth quarter with the Wolves up 112-108 with 7 minutes, 11 seconds remaining, Edwards blocked Indiana's Terry Taylor, then came down to hit a three. After Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton answered with a three, Edwards set up Patrick Beverley for another three, forcing an Indiana timeout.
Edwards had some help. D'Angelo Russell had a steady game with 23 points and six assists. Naz Reid had 13 off the bench to help make up for a foul-heavy day for Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 15 points and 13 rebounds in 22 minutes.
Even with Towns — who said Friday he was mentally and physically tired — not having his best day, Edwards was there to pick him up.
"He was awesome," coach Chris Finch said. "Came in, locked in, attack-minded. He's been in an attack mind-set for a few games now and it makes all the difference in the world."
Finch said that mind-set also helped Edwards get his jumper going – he was 7-for-13 from three-point range. All that is easier because Edwards is feeling better, and a healthier Edwards means the Wolves come out of a day like Sunday with a win as they try to find their defensive footing again.
"I feel good, and not even just because I'm playing good," Edwards said. "I'm happy to be out there again. I wasn't happy to be out there. I was just out there playing."
The Timberwolves turned on their defense and turned a deficit into a comfortable winning margin over the course of about five crucial minutes.
