Timberwolves beat Pacers 113-111. Anthony Edwards scores 44, seals win with amazing blocked shot.

Twice in the first half on Thursday night, Anthony Edwards left the Timberwolves’ 113-111 victory over Indiana.

The first time he exited was on the very first possession, when he stepped on the foot of Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith. Then later he left after a hard fall on defense.

As he tends to do, Edwards exited the game, only to return each time, and he allowed a bad Wolves day, which included the news that Karl-Anthony Towns will be re-evaluated in four weeks following surgery to repair a torn left meniscus, to end on a good note for the franchise.

Edwards may have begun the game hobbled, but he was soaring by the end of it.

He scored several key buckets down the stretch on his way to 44 points, but it was what he did in the final moments that will live on in his and the team’s highlight history.

After Edwards missed the second of two free throws with 7.2 seconds to play, Indiana grabbed the rebound and opted not to use its final timeout. Nesmith got the ball and was racing toward the right side of the hoop for a game-tying layup, but Edwards had him in his sights.

“I was like, ‘Man, I’m finna go get this,’ ” Edwards told Bally Sports North after the game.

He streaked in from the free-throw line, leaped so high he hit his head on the rim, and blocked Nesmith’s shot to seal the victory. He said his head was hurting “real bad” and he landed on his wrist, but the wide smile on his face indicated he didn’t mind.

“I ain’t never jumped that high in my life,” Edwards said.

Edwards’ block was a double exclamation point on what was a virtuoso performance down the stretch. For a player and a team that have received a lot of criticism for late-game offense, Edwards came up with a bucket every time the Wolves needed it.

He scored the final eight points for the Wolves, whose defense couldn’t quite put Indiana away despite Edwards’ shot-making heroics.

First, Edwards knocked down a three from the top of the key to break a 105-105 tie. He followed that with a pull-up jumper from 15 after a Wolves stop. But the Wolves allowed a three to Myles Turner (12 points) before Edwards hit a one-handed runner from 14 feet to put the Wolves back up 112-108. Then Kyle Anderson followed Nesmith while he was attempting a three with 16.3 seconds left, and Nesmith hit all three free throws. The Pacers then fouled Edwards with 7.2 seconds to play and he made sure his missed free throw wasn’t how he ended his night.

“I found my second wind late in that fourth,” Edwards said. “And it was over. Once I found my second wind, I knew there was nobody that can stop me.”

The Wolves came into the night wondering how they would compensate for Towns’ absence, and their night became a little more complicated when guard Monte Morris exited in the first half because of left hamstring soreness.

Would players like Naz Reid or Jaden McDaniels help make up ground? Those players had nice games, with McDaniels getting 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Reid pitched in 13 points and eight rebounds. But one way the Wolves can make up for Towns’ absence is by having Edwards go into hero mode. He was 18-for-35 from the field and hit three of the Wolves’ seven three-pointers.

“I thought his defense was outstanding all night. Incredible block at the end there to seal it, and then just some huge shots in the fourth,” coach Chris Finch said. “... From the three to the and one to the baseline reverse to the little runner, he had it all going on.”

BOXSCORE: Wolves 113, Indiana 111

NBA standings

All games are just one of 82 in the regular season, but given the circumstances — Towns’ injury, the start of a long road trip — it felt like the result of Thursday’s game carried some extra weight as the Wolves were set to navigate a tough stretch of their schedule. Edwards has always had a sense for the moment. He picked the right time to play one of the best games of his career.

“I always want it,” Edwards said. “I want every responsibility that comes with winning.”

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.