SUMMARY
- Anthony Edwards helped the Timberwolves avoid a sweep by recording 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.
- The 22-year-old took the Mavericks' 3-0 lead personally.
Anthony Edwards knew that Game 4 was extremely crucial in his books and he took the responsibility of fighting through for his team to avoid a 4-0 sweep. Considering that they’re the top defensive team in the league, getting swept would be extremely embarrassing. The Wolves and Dallas Mavericks had multiple lead exchanges during the game but it all came down to the wire.
With 13 seconds left on the game clock, the Mavericks were down by 6. Luka Doncic somehow managed to get contact with Edwards while shooting a three-pointer which led to a four-point play. Edwards himself was extremely shocked seeing Doncic pull it off. After Doncic missed his free throw, the Timberwolves called timeout. Naz Reid scooped a layup on the inbound pass which gave the Wolves a five-point lead to close out the game.
“I think I was just aggressive. I didn’t run to the corner in the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth, I didn’t just shy away from the ball. I kept going to the ball and they kept giving it to me and trusting me,” said Edwards on various changes he made for Game 4 to avoid a clean sweep. He finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Anthony Edwards still has hope the Timberwolves will overcome the Mavericks
Throughout the post-season and after every loss they’ve incurred, the Timberwolves have always had their heads held high. “It hasn’t been lifted off. I mean we still got a lot of work to do, man. We just wanted to get one game to extend the series,” said Anthony Edwards. Multiple other Timberwolves have also expressed their thoughts on them being the only team capable of pulling off a 3-0 deficit. However, history stands against them.
Edwards claimed he took things personally after the Mavericks went up by three since he’s never been swept in his entire career. “I ain’t never been swept in my career… Even though I’ve been to the playoffs three times, I ain’t never been swept. I took it personal man, I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to get swept,” he said. The 22-year-old didn’t want the Mavericks to have any type of upper hand in this situation, especially their fan base.
Charles Barkley loves Anthony Edwards’ response to Game 4 win
All five Timberwolves starters played extremely well in Game 4 and all of them finished with double-digits. While Anthony Edwards struggled, the Wolves took even more damage as Karl-Anthony Towns struggled to find a rhythm. But he finally broke loose in Game 4 finishing with 25 points shooting 4-5 from deep and 9-13 from the field.
Charles Barkley has been one of the Timberwolves’ biggest critics this series and even he believed this team’s attitude despite being 3-1 is impressive. He said, “Aye, they brought it tonight. They did not get swept which is always humiliating. Give KAT a lot of credit.” He added, “But I love Anthony [Edwards] after the game too. He says, ‘You know, we ain’t did nothing yet.’ And I love that response.”
It will be a tough task to pull off a 3-0 deficit and win four straight. Historically, no team has ever been able to come back from a deficit that big. The Timberwolves have a lot of work to do since Game 4 wasn’t close to a blowout. The Mavericks are one of the best clutch teams and we did see a glimpse of it when Doncic secured a four-point play. Had Dallas gotten an offensive rebound after he missed, the chances of them closing out the game would have been overwhelmingly high.
