Wolves blow out Blazers behind another big game from Edwards
The Timberwolves saw their early 30-point lead shrink all the way down to eight during the third quarter of Thursday night’s game against the Trail Blazers in Portland.
Then Anthony Edwards took over.
Edwards scored 11 straight Timberwolves points late in the third quarter during a 22-8 run that pushed their lead back to 23 by the end of the frame. It was all smooth sailing from there in a 128-91 victory, Minnesota’s second win over Portland in three nights.
Edwards found his way to the free-throw line, drove into the lane for a layup, pulled up for a 3-pointer from the top of the key and threw down a transition dunk during the run that saw the Timberwolves (39-16) take control once and for all. Edwards finished his night with 34 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block.
The Timberwolves looked like they were going to blow out the Trail Blazers (15-39) from the opening tipoff. Minnesota outscored Portland 44-14 in the first quarter, arguably its most dominant 12 minutes of the season.
Jaden McDaniels got going early and scored 17 points on efficient 6-for-11 shooting.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and eight rebounds.
But the Trail Blazers cut their deficit in half by the halftime break and took advantage of some sloppy play from the Timberwolves in the third quarter, cutting their deficit to singe digits when Jerami Grant hit a pair of free throws early in the frame.
Fittingly, it was Edwards who stopped the bleeding with a fadeaway jumper to push the Timberwolves’ lead back to 10. It only got better for Minnesota from there.
The Timberwolves pushed their lead back to 30 in the fourth quarter, and they emptied their bench with over four minutes remaining in the contest. It was a dominant showing from the top team in the Western Conference, with its star player leading the way when it needed him most.
Final key stats
- Anthony Edwards: 34 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal
- Jaden McDaniels: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
- Mike Conley: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
- Monte Morris: 12 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal
- Rudy Gobert: 11 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
- Naz Reid: 10 points, 3 rebounds
- Jerami Grant: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block
- Scoot Henderson: 15 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal
