Alex Caruso Dishes on OKC Thunder’s Difficulties Slowing Down Anthony Edwards

For the first time this postseason, Oklahoma City got flat out embarrassed. Sure, there have been certain stretches of games, and even entire games, that just haven’t gone the Thunder’s way. But Saturday night was a 48-minute demolition, and it was unacceptable all around.

The Thunder flat out no-showed, starting the game off with zero intensity and allowing Minnesota to score at will. With the Thunder’s defense getting gashed, the role players continued to miss wide open 3-pointers. The Thunder’s top players faltered, too, looking unplayable. Minnesota flat out dominated this team in every way, shape, and form — ending with Terrance Shannon Jr., a rookie who played 32 total games this season, outscoring every single OKC player.

For the Wolves, though, it started with Anthony Edwards. He certainly came out with an aggressive, assertive mindset, and refused to let Minnesota lose. On both ends, his effort and engagement looked completely different than the previous two games. Oklahoma City played lazy defense on him, too, and paid the price. He poured in 30 points in just 29 minutes on 12-of-17 shooting and 5-of-8 from 3-point range. To put it simply, Edwards torched the Thunder.

Considering Oklahoma City is up 2-1 in the series, this Thunder team is still in a good spot. It can all change in the blink of an eye, though, as was evident on Saturday night. If Oklahoma City loses a pivotal Game 4, this series is anyone’s guess. To keep the panic meter low and handle business, Oklahoma City must do a better job on Edwards. From Lu Dort, to Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso, shutting him down will be critical.

“Yeah, I mean it’s a five-person job,” Caruso said. “Like any All-Star, All-NBA player in the league, there’s not one person that’s gonna go out there and shut them down for the whole game.

“We gotta make sure we’re early, we’re anticipatory, and we’re in the spots we’re supposed to be before he starts attacking. Because he is a really good player, and he’s strong and athletic. If he gets to his spots before we’re ready, it’s usually in his favor.”

Oklahoma City found success against Edwards in Game 1, and held him to an inefficient night in Game 2, but it spiraled fast in Game 3. Edwards dominated this entire Thunder squad. Monday night is the perfect opportunity for the Thunder to bounce back and take complete control of the series, but it all starts with slowing down a talented player in Edwards.

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