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The Minnesota Timberwolves have managed to play above expectations in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, and on Wednesday night, they sent the favored third-seeded Lakers packing with a 103-96 win in Game 5. Anthony Edwards continues to blossom as a major force, and it's no mean feat to be able to send superstars as accomplished as LeBron James and Luka Doncic home in the first round of the playoffs.
Edwards himself isn't taking this accomplishment lightly whatsoever. In fact, the Timberwolves star gave James his due praise, even calling him the greatest to ever do it during his postgame presser.
“It means a lot. We beat the best player in the world, the best player ever,” Edwards said, via the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter).
"We beat the best player in the world, the best player ever."
Anthony Edwards following their series win over the Lakers 🙌pic.twitter.com/gMr7RgwtqE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 1, 2025
James has never exited the playoffs in the first round prior to the 2024 postseason, and he has done so in two consecutive years — a sign that he's a mortal who's approaching the end of his career. Nevertheless, no one would dare take the Lakers star lightly, and giving James the appropriate respect he's earned certainly played a part in the Timberwolves not dilly-dallying and taking care of business with urgency in the first closeout game of the series.
Edwards is also a legitimate competitor who wants to prove himself against the greatest, and it's quite the achievement for him to be able to lead the Timberwolves over a Lakers team that has two of the most dominant superstars the league has ever seen. In his own right, Edwards is blossoming into an all-time great, and if he continues on in this trajectory, it won't be long before he receives such high acclaim from his peers himself.
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves are right back on track
When the Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns away, there was much confusion, although many knew that it was for money-saving purposes. And it looked as though Minnesota jeopardized its chances at competing with such a maneuver after they went off to a very slow start to the season.
But Anthony Edwards and company simply needed time to jell, and now, they are on a roll. Many favored the Lakers heading into the series, but the Timberwolves, led by Edwards, were much more ferocious on the glass and made timely plays. Even Rudy Gobert, who's often criticized for being played off the court by a small-ball-centric team, dominated in Game 5 and was the difference-maker in that closeout game.
