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Anthony Edwards calls out voters after shutting down Jaren Jackson Jr.

"They just gotta watch the games because this is not my first time doing this."
Joe Nelson|
Anthony Edwards calls out voters after shutting down Jaren Jackson Jr.
Anthony Edwards calls out voters after shutting down Jaren Jackson Jr.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards sent a message to those who vote for the NBA's All-Defense honors: Watch me. 

In Minnesota's come-from-behind win over the Grizzlies Wednesday night – just 24 hours after Edwards suffered an injury scare when he rolled his left ankle – Edwards took matters into his own hands to shut down Jaren Jackson Jr., who had 29 points and 12 rebounds through 31 minutes of the game. 

"He was cookin'. That’s pretty much it. We couldn’t guard him. I said, s***, I might as well try," Edwards said postpone about his decision to take a stab at guarding the 6-foot-10 Memphis star. 

As head coach Chris Finch said afterward, Edwards "shut his water off." 

Over the final 17 minutes of the game Jackson was held to four points and one rebound as Minnesota came back from an 11-point deficit to win 110-101 – the 42nd win of the season to equal last season's win total. 

"I think people gotta watch more Minnesota Timberwolves games, as far as whoever the f*** the voters are," Edwards told reporters in the locker room. "They just gotta watch the games because this is not my first time doing this. I have nights like this all the time. I have nights like this all the time where somebody gets hot, their best player gets hot and I go shut 'em down the rest of the game.”

Edwards, 17 pounds lighter and six inches shorter than Jackson, said he attacked Jackson with a physical mentality. 

"You gotta be physical. I think playing football helped me a lot growing up as a kid. You gotta initiate the contact, be the first one to hit and after that it’s a fight. We’re in the ring," he said. 

Edwards finished with 34 points for the second straight night and ended February by averaging 31.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals in 12 games. Minnesota went 8-4 in February and with 23 games to play they remain atop the Western Conference standings at 42-17. 

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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