Anthony Edwards is not prepared to leave the playoffs. The Minnesota guard obstructed Dallas from sweeping Minnesota 4-0 in the West final on Tuesday. The Timberwolves won the fourth game (105-100) and put the series 3-1 heading to Minneapolis. The Mavericks have shown time and time again during the series the ample ability of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to solve the game in a matter of seconds. What in basketball jargon is known as the clutch player? Edwards, who had left everyone wanting more in the previous games, has raised his hand tonight so that no one forgets about him. With 29 points he has given the franchise its first victory in a conference final in 20 years. Luka Doncic (28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists) will have to wait a little longer to reach his long-awaited first final in the United States.
Also Read: The Boston Celtics, to the NBA Finals
“I didn’t want them to sweep us away,” Edwards summarized. These are only the third playoffs for the player, who has a bright future in the league at 22 years old. “I think I was more aggressive today. “I didn’t go to the corners, but I spent my time receiving the ball because my teammates believed in me,” Ant-Man said in a post-match television interview. He almost had a triple-double with 29 points, 10 boards and 9 assists in 40 minutes, although he also had six turnovers.
The work of survival was not unique to Edwards. Although he scored 23 points in the first half, followed by 13 from Mike Conley; The work of Karl-Anthony and Edwards was vital in the second half. The center had a great night, making four of five three-pointers, all of them in the last two quarters when Dallas began to tighten Edwards’ coverage. KAT closed the night with 25 points, their best night in the last five games and the second game with the most points since the game in which they eliminated the Denver Nuggets, the current NBA champions.
Edwards and Towns were the heroes for the Timberwolves. They were able to avoid the dreaded 4-0 despite making beginner’s mistakes. The guard and center got into foul trouble very early on. Towns already had two in the first quarter, which reduced the visitors’ defensive options. The Frenchman Rudy Gobert also added to this problem, he was involved in one of the clashes of the night in a play with Derrick Jones Jr. The two faced each other, which caused the referees to call a double technical foul. Gobert (13 points) finished with 5 fouls, as did Edwards. Towns was ejected with six fouls in the fourth quarter after 29 minutes of play.
The expulsion of Towns in the final minutes raised the temperature in a series that has always been resolved in the last period. The Timberwolves had been ahead almost the entire game from the beginning when they had an eight-point lead. Dallas had shown great ball movement from the perimeter, which increased the damage of the three-pointers with 42% of shots converted from distance. Thus they managed to go to halftime with a 49-49 tie.
The third period was once again for the Minnesota team, who were determined not to remain scoreless in what was their first conference final since 2004. The tie for Dallas came, again, in the last quarter thanks to a stupendous defense. Daniel Gafford even covered Towns twice on the same play. Power forward PJ Washington hit a three-pointer from the left side after two quick passes. Towns responded almost immediately with two consecutive long-distance shots.
Doncic, who likes to wield the dagger that resolves matches, seemed destined to close the tie. With less than 20 seconds left, he made a long three-pointer in desperation, without being well-planted for the jump and from the center of the perimeter. The Slovenian, who has a high basketball IQ, managed to draw a foul on Edwards, who was covering him very closely. He traveled to the free throw line with a chance to convert a four-point play that would put them one basket away from tying. He missed the shot even though he had been nearly perfect from the line. He scored 10 of 12 on the night. So Dallas will have to look for a place in its third final later this week. The Celtics are already waiting for the winner of this series.
