On Thursday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a major step toward the NBA Finals. They went up 2-0 in the Western Conference against the Minnesota Timberwolves, despite a standout performance from Anthony Edwards. Still, the shooting guard hit a historic playoff mark.
The Ant-Man was the top performer for the Timberwolves in their 118-103 loss at Paycom Center. In 40 minutes on the court, he scored 32 points (second only to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38), while also recording 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Thanks to those numbers, Edwards became the highest-scoring player in Minnesota playoff history, surpassing NBA icon Kevin Garnett. Anthony reached 1,065 points in the postseason, passing the former power forward’s mark of 1,049.
What’s remarkable about this record is how quickly Edwards achieved it. Garnett played 12 consecutive seasons with the Timberwolves early in his career, from 1995 to 2007, with a brief return before his retirement in 2016. During that span, he made eight playoff appearances and played a total of 47 postseason games.
Anthony, on the other hand, is only in his fifth NBA season, and this is just his fourth trip to the postseason. At just 23 years old and with only 39 playoff games under his belt, he’s already scored more points in that stage than any other player in the franchise’s history.
Having proven his individual value in this kind of setting, the challenge now for the young guard is to lead his team to success. Last season, the team was eliminated in the Conference Finals with a resounding 1-4 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. And things aren’t looking good now against OKC: down 0-2 in the series, it will be crucial for the Timberwolves to hold strong at Target Center if they hope to keep dreaming of their first NBA Finals appearance.
Meanwhile, Edwards is making headlines not just for his performances on the court, but also for off-court controversies. This week, he was fined $50,000 for using inappropriate language during a press conference and, following the Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City, refused to speak to the media.
SURVEY Can Minnesota turn the series around vs OKC?
Can Minnesota turn the series around vs OKC?
already voted 2 fans
