For much of the 53 minutes of the Timberwolves’ game at Sacramento on Friday night — and yes, it was 53, thanks to an action-packed overtime that followed a seesaw first four quarters — the two best players on the court traded shots, points, big plays, big moments.
Timberwolves push back in OT, top Sacramento Kings despite De’Aaron Fox’s 60 points
Anthony Edwards scored 36, coming up big as the Timberwolves blew a 20-point lead but ended a three-game losing streak anyway.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 16, 2024 at 5:12PM
De’Aaron Fox for Sacramento, Anthony Edwards for Minnesota.
In the Wolves’ 130-126 overtime victory, Fox won the battle, Edwards the war. And, as a result, the Timberwolves (7-6) ended a three-game losing streak.
Battle? Fox made 22 of 35 shots, six of 10 three-pointers. He scored a career-high and Kings franchise-record 60 points.
But it was Edwards who won the game.
He scored 36 points, seven in overtime, and Julius Randle scored 26, five in OT, to lead the Wolves to the victory over Sacramento (7-6).
“That’s what the game is about, two of the best players going at it,” Edwards said of his game and Fox’s.
Edwards hit 14 of 27 shots. After going 0-for-9 on three-pointers in his last game, he made six of 14 Friday.
He and Randle ultimately made the difference. The two combined for 12 of the Wolves’ 15 overtime points.
“Super important,” Edwards said in a postgame TV interview. “This game was super important. I’m glad we were able to come out with the win.”
Ultimately, it went like this:
With the score tied after Fox hit his sixth and final three of the night with 1:15 left in OT, Randle drove for a score with 57.3 seconds left. At the other end, finally, Fox missed, with Edwards getting the rebound.
Back down, the ball in his hands, Edwards dribbled to his position, lifted and shot, his 21-footer falling with 14.3 seconds left.
Game, finally.
This was way more of a battle than it looked like it would be through three quarters. Firing hot and getting contributions from everywhere, the Wolves led by 20 at one point in the third quarter and were still up 19 with just over two minutes left in the quarter on Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s score.
But over the next 10 or so minutes of play the Kings went on a 39-16 run to go up four on Domantas Sabonis’ layup with 2:10 left in regulation.
The bad news is that the Wolves almost let this one get away. The good news is that they didn’t.
“Fox really got rolling,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “We tried switching up coverages, but he got rolling, got too easily into his operating zone. They rallied, but [the Wolves players] didn’t get their heads down. We forced enough misses down the end of the game.”
Frankly, there wasn’t a lot of missing by either team until the Wolves couldn’t buy a basket while being outscored 14-0 to start the fourth quarter. The Wolves shot 47% despite that stretch.
In addition to Edwards and Randle, the Wolves got double-figure scoring from Jaden McDaniel (14 points, six rebounds), Rudy Gobert (11 and 11) and Mike Conley (14 points, seven assists, five steals) in the starting lineup and from reserves Naz Reid (16) and Alexander-Walker (10).
The Kings? They shot an even 50%, scored 60 points in the paint, got double-doubles from Sabonis (23 points and 12 rebounds) and Keegan Murray (14 and 10).
But, ultimately, Edwards made the difference. His layup with 2:19 left in OT put the Wolves up five. Fox led the Kings back again, but the Wolves got crucial points, one final big stop.
No problem, right?
Points, drama, back-and-forth basketball. A night when stars collided.
“I’ve been a big fan of his for a long time,” Edwards said of Fox. “I’ve always felt he was one of the best point guards in the league. Tonight he showed it.”
Conley, Gobert experienced emotional nights returning to places they called home for several seasons.
