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The Minnesota Timberwolves avoided the sweep on Sunday night, outlasting the Denver Nuggets in overtime to force a Game 5 in their best-of-seven series — and Anthony Edwards was a big reason why.
The 21-year-old spoke on his motivations after putting up a team-high 34 points to help Minnesota stay alive.
“I don't ever want to say I got swept in my career,” Edwards said after the game, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez. “So I definitely took it personally tonight.”
Edwards was solid in front of the home crowd, adding six boards and five assists. But he was potent on the defensive side of the ball, picking up two steals and three blocks in the 114-108 victory.
The All-Star guard has scored 280 points in his first 10 career playoff games; that's seventh most of any player in their first 10 since 1979, behind only Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Trae Young and Allen Iverson, according to ESPN.
Despite stuffing the stat line, the Atlanta, GA native was still critical of his play.
“I played terrible if you ask me,” Edwards explained. “I took three bad 3s, three terrible possessions, and I damn near shot us out the game. I didn't play that good tonight.”
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The Timberwolves blew a 12-point lead in the waning minutes of the contest in a game that had no business going to overtime — but Edwards buckled down in the extra frame to secure the win.
He hit both of his shots in overtime, one a layup with 1:29 remaining and the other a crucial three-pointer with just 11.5 seconds to play.
“I wasn't passing the ball,” Edwards asserted. “I was taking the shot. I was going to live with whether I lost us the game or we won. And I ended up hitting the shot.”
Anthony Edwards still hasn't been swept in his NBA career, and his team will need him in a big way if they hope to steal a must-win game in Denver against the Western Conference's best team on Tuesday night.
Game 5 is set for just past 9 p.m. EST at Ball Arena.
