Anthony Edwards and Dillon Brooks turned a random NBA Cup night into a mini playoff scene in the desert. The Minnesota Timberwolves star dropped 41 points in a 114-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday, but one of his loudest moments came after a third-quarter bomb over Brooks.

With the Timberwolves trailing 66-62, Edwards drilled a contested wing three to cut it to 66-65. As Phoenix called a timeout, Edwards walked straight at Brooks and screamed in his direction, letting the Suns forward know exactly how he felt about the coverage. 

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That flashpoint fit right into their growing rivalry. Edwards has already called Dillon Brooks a dirty player in past matchups, and Brooks seems to love leaning into the villain role. This time, Brooks got the last laugh on the scoreboard. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Collin Gillespie capped his 20-point night with the game-winning jumper with 6.4 seconds left as Phoenix erased an eight-point deficit in the final minute, via the ESPN Box Score. 

Edwards did everything but close it. He shot 14-of-24 from the field, hit five 3-pointers, and piled up trips to the line, yet missed two crucial free throws with 12.7 seconds left that gave the Suns life. Julius Randle added 20 points, and Rudy Gobert put up 12 points and 12 boards, but Minnesota committed 22 turnovers and completely melted down late. 

The Suns did not exactly play clean, either. Phoenix coughed up 28 turnovers and watched Devin Booker struggle to 16 points on 4-of-18 shooting before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Still, Dillon Brooks and the Suns kept coming, and Gillespie’s floater made sure Edwards’ three and trash talk became a footnote to one of the wildest finishes of the season. If this is a preview of future Suns-Wolves battles, sign up now.