Star-Making Performance From Anthony Edwards Extends Timberwolves' Season

KEY POINTS

Anthony Edwards had another big outing to prevent the Timberwolves' first-ever sweep
Edwards chose to give credit to his teammates instead of taking the glory for himself
Minnesota will rely heavily on Edwards as their big duo has been relatively neutralized

The Minnesota Timberwolves was nearing the first-ever 4-0 series loss in the franchise's history towards the end of Game 4 at home against the Denver Nuggets, but Anthony Edwards is quickly showing why he has next.

Entering the second half, Edwards was the second-best scorer on the Timberwolves behind Karl-Anthony Towns and was down 52-48 with a sweep looming in the distance.

For the Georgia product though, the third quarter saw him bring out the flamethrower and erupt for 16 points with an all-around offensive performance, giving the Timberwolves a nice six-point cushion entering the final frame.

Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Bruce Brown scored all 22 of the Nuggets' points in the final frame and with great defense from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, NBA fans saw the first-ever overtime game of the postseason.

When it was all said and done, Edwards had dropped 34 points, his third-straight game in doing so, and the series now shifts to Denver for another must-win for Minnesota.

While Edwards deserved a ton of praise for anchoring the Timberwolves' offense that has seen Towns' skillset be negated by the Nuggets' defense, the Atlanta native showed love for his teammates in the postgame interview.

"I went to KAT's (Karl-Anthony Towns) house last night so I knew he was gonna come out with energy. He did a great job on [Nikola] Jokic. Nickeil [Alexander-Walker], Mike Conley, they made big shots in overtime. Rudy [Gobert] played his ass off and we can't ask for more," Edwards mentioned.

In the extremely heated landscape of playoff basketball, winning and losing can come down to how well a team's supporting cast performs and Nickeil Alexander-Walker stepped it up to support Edwards' efforts.

Though he only had eight points to his name, he went on to hit two big three-pointers in overtime to finally put away the Nuggets and the star guard had nothing but love for the former New Orleans Pelican wing.

"I'm just trying to encourage him to shoot more because if you can't guard like that, we need you to make shots. He's a perfect fit for our team. I'm happy for him. He's getting a chance to play and he's showcasing all his abilities," Edwards said.

Although the Timberwolves still have a mountain to climb before even thinking of being the first team to come down from a 3-0 deficit in NBA history, Edwards will figure to be a centerpiece of that goal.

The Nuggets have proven themselves capable of stopping any shot from inside the paint thanks to Jokic, Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon locking it down, preventing Towns and Rudy Gobert from being major factors offensively.

It now depends greatly on Edwards, and veteran guard Mike Conley to an extent, carrying the brunt of the offensive responsibility to open up the paint for Towns and Gobert to do their damage in small bursts.

Averaging 32.3 points on 48.3% field goal shooting to go along with his 4.3 boards, 4.8 assists plus 2.3 steals and two blocks through four games, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch knows how far they go into the playoffs will depend on Edwards.

The postseason is where big-time stars are made and Edwards' performance thus far certainly points in that direction.