Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves punched back and took a 2-1 lead on their first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, beating them 116-104 at Target Center.
The All-Star guard had 29 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and drained five 3-pointers to give his team the best version of himself by flirting with a triple-double. The Twolves are going to need every single ounce of his talent if they want to get past LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and the rest of the Los Angeles team.
Coming into the series, Ant knew that the Lakers were the clear favorites to come on top and he embraced the opportunity to silence his critics and the media. “I love the fact that everybody wants the Lakers to win; that’s how it’s supposed to be. They don’t want the Timberwolves to win, so I get it,” he told reporters.
Game 3 of the Western Conference’s first round of the playoffs was a battle between Minnesota and Los Angeles, and Anthony Edwards knew that he was going to need a big performance in order for his team to win. And he came out swinging, showing Target Center his hunger for victory, particularly with one play that was celebrated for the home team fans.
With 4:56 left on the third quarter, Luka Doncic had a jump ball contest against forward Jaden McDaniels, and even though the Slovenian superstar got the ball, it ended up in center Rudy Gobert’s hands, who handled to Ant. The shooting guard attempted a three but failed. McDaniels also took a shoot at a 3-pointer, but also missed.
Luckily for the Timberwolves, Edwards got the rebound after stealing the ball from Luka’s hands. Anthony headed to the three point line, but instead of trying another 3-pointer, he headed for the rim. Doncic tried to contest the shot, but it was no match to Ant’s jumping abiities. After the Minnesota superstar dunked the ball, he gave his rival a mean look, letting him know that he has no chance of stopping him.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night due to multiple problems the team faced during the game. Even though LeBron James put the team on his back, scoring a game-high 38 points, it was not enough for the Purple and Gold, who came up short.
Luka Doncic played 40 minutes despite coming into the game with an apparent illness. He was bothered throughout the game, repeatedly clutching at his stomach. The Slovenian superstar managed to scorte 17 points with eight assists and eight rebounds, but the Lakers needed much more if they were gonna have a chance to win game 3.
The Lakers need to get it together for game 4 at Target Center on Sunday. If they lose, they will fall to 3-1 on the best out of four series, a challenge that could be too high for them to climb. However, having LeBron and Luka on your team gives Los Angeles all the hope they need to make a comeback every single time.
