Anthony Edwards drops 41 as Wolves down Rockets in chippy battle

Edwards set the franchise record for most 40-point games after tying Karl-Anthony Towns the night prior.

Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore drives towards the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) and guard Jaylen Clark defend during the second quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Feb. 6, 2025. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves were in a dogfight, and Anthony Edwards wasn't going to let them lose.

Edwards made a pair of 3-pointers and had two and-1s during the stretch run of a wire-to-wire battle, leading the Wolves to a 127-119 victory over the Houston Rockets Thursday night at a sold-out and loud Target Center in Minneapolis.

It was the second straight 40-point night for Edwards, who finished with a game-high 41 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He also hit a pair of milestones during the game: He became the youngest player to hit 1,000 career made 3-pointers and he set the Wolves franchise record for most 40-point games with 14, passing Karl-Anthony Towns.

"Shoutout to KAT, man," Edwards said. "He always be texting me. I text him after every game, he text me after every game.

"Yeah KAT, you second my boy."

In addition to the key shots and big effort from Edwards during the stretch run, Mike Conley came up with a pair of big shots, too, for the Wolves (29-23), despite exiting earlier in the game after dislocating his finger. Conley hit a clutch 3 that put the Wolves up 10 with just under two minutes remaining and a layup that put them up 11 with under 1:30 to go.

It was a battle of a game against the Rockets (32-19). Edwards was getting into it with Dillon Brooks, including a sequence where they bumped into each other running up the court and both picked up fouls. The two were trash talking for most of the night. Jock Landale shoved Naz Reid after the two battled for a rebound and drew a jump ball, and in that sequence, both Landale and Rudy Gobert picked up technical fouls. The game, frankly, had a playoff feel. It'd make for a good series.

"I thought our fight and our physicality rose throughout the game, which is exactly what we needed it to do," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said.

The Wolves had been lacking scoring off their bench in recent weeks down both Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, and Jaylen Clark provided in a big way Thursday night in addition to the defensive presence he's been bringing to the court in recent weeks. Clark knocked down four 3-pointers on his way to 17 points. He added three rebounds and an assist.