Thursday was a day that the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise would rather forget. On pace for the best season in franchise history, the Timberwolves dishearteningly lost Karl-Anthony Towns to a torn meniscus, which puts his status for the postseason in doubt. But Anthony Edwards took it upon himself to make Timberwolves fans forget about the terrible turn of events, giving it his all during their epic 113-111 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Edwards, after going through a bit of malaise over the past few weeks, was simply phenomenal. But no other play encapsulates his impact in the Timberwolves' win over the Pacers than the final play. With a chance to send the game to overtime, the Pacers gave the ball to Aaron Nesmith, who looked like he had an open lane for a layup. But Edwards came from out of nowhere, risking life and limb while climbing over Jaden McDaniels just to swat away Nesmith's shot in resounding fashion, preserving the Timberwolves' lead.
Fans all over the globe already exploded in awe after witnessing footage of Anthony Edwards' impressive game-sealing rejection. Imagine how epic it must have been to witness the play firsthand. One fan, @ThatJimiDude on Twitter (X), doesn't have to imagine, as he had perhaps the best seat in the house, capturing the Timberwolves star's block from an incredible angle.
It was incredible to see Anthony Edwards go higher and higher to the point that he hit his head on the underside of the basket. It looked like he was shot out of a cannon; in the vertical video, the Timberwolves star wasn't even in the frame when Aaron Nesmith began his gather.
What a culmination this is of Edwards' efforts against the Pacers on Thursday night. He had already hit a few clutch shots, rising to the occasion of carrying the Timberwolves' offense with Karl-Anthony Towns' extended absence looming, so he didn't exactly have to be the one to pull off the game-defining defensive stop.
Towns' injury might be a back-breaker, but as long as Anthony Edwards is healthy, there is no counting out what these Timberwolves can do.