The Minnesota Timberwolves snatched a 2-1 series lead against the Los Angeles Lakers after a thrilling Game 3. Anthony Edwards and Co. put up a dominant second-half performance that ensured a 116-104 win over LA. Fighting off the ghost of past home playoff failures, the Wolves left it late at the Target Center on Friday. Minnesota lost five of its six home games in the playoffs last season. Interestingly, three of those losses came against a certain Slovenian point guard. However, they did not give up on Friday in front of a jam-packed Minnesota crowd. The team went on an incredible 13-1 run in the final five minutes to take a crucial lead in this playoff series.
This performance is hugely credited to Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. Edwards finished the night with 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Meanwhile, McDaniels exploded for a career-high 30 points. The 23-year-old shooting guard revealed what he tweaked in his gameplay to break Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s zone defense, which troubled him big time in Game 2. “Just trying to play a little faster, I think. In the first half, I was like, I was getting to where I wanted to go, but I wasn’t playing fast enough. So like when they switch and then like say like Julius (Randle) set a screen and they switch and he rolls his man down. I was waiting till his man turned around instead of driving right behind him, and I think in the fourth quarter, I started to do that more, and it was effective,” Edwards stated after the win.
The Ant-Man went 12-of-26 from the field, including an impressive 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. In Game 2, Edwards struggled from the deep, managing to score only 2-of-8 from the three. Moreover, by doing this, the Timberwolves were able to take advantage of a massive shortcoming on JJ Redick and Los Angeles’ end. The Lakers’ HC mentioned that they don’t have any rim protection, due to which they will be forced to give away a three or a shot at the rim if they get blown by. As it turned out, this was the very gap Anthony Edwards and Minnesota attacked to take down the Lakers, rubbing salt on Redick’s wound. Meanwhile, Ant’s teammate, Julius Randle, also talked about how the team was able to take advantage of LA’s lack of rim protection by grabbing rebounds and aiming to break into the paint.
Another factor that helped Minnesota was Luka Doncic’s illness. The Lakers’ point guard battled with a stomach flu, with Redick revealing that he was vomiting throughout the day. With Doncic struggling with an unfortunate illness, it might make you think that something like this would be exploited by Anthony Edwards and Co. However, that wasn’t the case. “No, no, I didn’t know, I mean, I don’t sit and watch the latest updates or nothing like that. So I don’t. Yeah, I don’t know anything about none of their players, but whoever is on the court.” Ant suggested. Edwards, who’s known for his nonchalant nature and blunt replies, answered the question, as you’d expect. Meanwhile, his teammates also joined in to throw some more shade at Los Angeles after the impressive win.
While Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle rubbed salt on JJ Redick’s wound by exploiting their shortage of rim protectors, their teammates had something more to say. Naz Reid had another solid game off the bench, scoring 11 points and grabbing six boards. At the same time, youngster Jaden McDaniels had a career night, scoring 30 points along with five rebounds and an assist. When asked about how it felt playing in front of an impressive home crowd. “I’ll say it was. It felt like a playoff atmosphere. I mean, it was better than the Lakers crowd, for sure. And just I mean they was they came out and did their job, I mean we feed off their energy, so I mean just we’re grateful for them.” McDaniels stated.
The 24-year-old Minnesota forward appreciated the Timberwolves faithful. Meanwhile, he threw shade at LA’s crowd by saying that their fans were better. Meanwhile, Reid took it a bit further by giving their fans the title of the sixth man. “I think that’s the real sixth man and they kind of get us going, whether it’s a bad call, they’re calling it out, you know, whether it’s you know a play we were supposed to make, they’re letting us know like you know. So it’s kind of like the sixth man in some instances.” Randle added. Indeed, the crowd at the Target Center was buzzing. So much so that not only McDaniels and Randle but also other players were left in awe during the game.
Anthony Edwards himself stated that this was the most fun he’s had playing in the Arena. Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert could not hear the play after Julius Randle got the first basket of the night for Minnesota. Overall, the crowd inside the Target Center helped boost Anthony Edwards and the rest of the team’s morale, helping them perform much better. The fans acted like the sixth man for the team, as mentioned by Randle. Well, it will play a major role when the two teams meet once again on Sunday for Game 4. If the crowd is able to get Minnesota through the line once again, it will be a massive win, for sure. As we eagerly await Game 4.
