Edwards' 41 points, NAW's timely 3s help Wolves down Trail Blazers
Despite a dominant effort from Anthony Edwards through three quarters, the Timberwolves entered the fourth quarter with just a one-point lead over the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night in Portland.
The Trail Blazers even took a brief lead early in the fourth frame.
Then it was Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s time to shine.
Alexander-Walker hit four timely 3-pointers during an 18-4 Timberwolves run that turned a tie game into a 16-point Minnesota lead. The Timberwolves beat the Trail Blazers 121-109 on the second half of a back to back after an impressive victory over the Clippers a night earlier in Los Angeles.
Tied 86-86, Alexander-Walker started his 3-point barrage to put the Timberwolves (38-17) up three. He hit another a few possessions later from the right corner to extend their lead to six before following it up with another from the same spot on their next possession for a seven-point advantage.
In what was perhaps a heat check, Alexander-Walker stepped back and fired one from deep in the opposite corner a few possessions later. Swish.
That put the Timberwolves up 12, and the Trail Blazers (15-38) called a timeout. Edwards stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass and threw down a dunk.
Edwards, who was a late add to the injury report and listed as questionable before the game with right knee soreness, caught fire early, pouring in 18 points in the first quarter as the Timberwolves took a 12-point lead into the second frame.
While Portland rallied to make it a game, Edwards was far from finished. He finished his night with 41 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Alexander-Walker, meanwhile, poured in 18 points off the bench on incredibly efficient 6-for-7 shooting, including a 5 of 6 mark from 3-point range.
The Blazers whittled down the lead, even taking a two-point advantage when Scoot Henderson hit a trio of free throws on the opening possession of the fourth quarter after being fouled on his 3-point attempt.
But then came the Alexander-Walker outburst. And Edwards didn’t slow down either. As the Timberwolves opened up a double-digit lead, he drove for a layup, was fouled and hit the free throw. He added two more buckets after that before Minnesota subbed in the end of its bench in the waning minutes.
Final key stats
- Anthony Edwards: 41 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
- Rudy Gobert: 16 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
- Naz Reid: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal
- Deandre Ayton: 22 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist
- Anfernee Simons: 20 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
