Sensational Anthony Edwards saves Timberwolves with epic block at buzzer
Anthony Edwards matched his season high with 44 points, making a game-tying three-pointer with 1:11 to go and coming up with a spectacular block at the buzzer to give the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves a 113-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
Edwards shot up to deny a last-second layup by the Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith, hitting his head on the rim as time expired. He shouted, flexed his muscles and punched Rudy Gobert in the chest in celebration.
Gobert added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who were playing without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota moved into first place in the Western Conference, half a game ahead of Oklahoma City.
“His shot was next level,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said when asked about Edwards. “Even when we double-teamed him, he got away from us. Look, he’s a great player and that’s why every second of every minute of every game is important.”
Edwards was masterful in Minnesota’s second straight victory, accounting for the team’s final eight points while making 18 of 35 from the field with three 3-pointers and six rebounds in a back-and-forth game in which neither team was in the lead by more than five. last 20 minutes.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 23 points and 13 assists for the Pacers, who trailed by 17 points in the first half but led 104-103. Siakam’s powerful dunk with two minutes to go. Indiana has lost three of four and is eighth in the East.
Even without Towns, Minnesota managed to hold the league’s highest-scoring team nearly 13 points below average.
“I thought the defensive game plan was good,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “I thought our players really performed in the first half, but went a little loose in the second half. Of course they made some adjustments, but we were able to transfer them much earlier.”
And Edwards made them pay again and again.
Despite limping off the floor 26 seconds into the game, Edwards helped put Minnesota up 54-37 midway through the second quarter. He finished the first half with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Indiana closed the halftime deficit to 60-49, opened the second half on a 19-4 run and eventually took a 68-66 lead midway through the third quarter when Myles Turner converted a Minnesota turnover into a dunk.
From then on, neither team could take control – until Edwards capped off his big final rush with the decisive block.
“Edwards is a physical player and you have to play physical against physical players,” Carlisle said. “It’s a difficult learning process.”
Towns will undergo surgery next week to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee, the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves announced later Thursday evening.
The All-Star will miss at least four weeks, the team said. That would mean Towns will be sidelined for at least another thirteen games — the majority of Minnesota’s remaining regular-season schedule.
The team revealed after the match that an MRI examination performed on Wednesday revealed the meniscus tear.
“Further updates will be provided as they become available,” the team said.
The ninth-year forward is averaging 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 42.3% from three-point range.
Before Thursday, he had missed just one game this season due to a left knee injury on Dec. 23, and he showed no obvious signs of trouble in Monday’s win against Portland — though he played just 21 minutes, his second-lowest total. this season.