Ant battles with Wemby, erupts for career-high in brilliant performance

The Timberwolves lost a basketball game to the Spurs on Saturday night in San Antonio. They fell behind by 25 points at halftime after allowing a ridiculous 48 in the second quarter, and despite taking a late lead in an incredible second half, they couldn't quite complete a comeback that would've tied for the largest in franchise history.

And yet, to some extent, the final score of this game (126-123, Spurs) isn't the main story. The story is about the single most scintillating performance of Anthony Edwards' career, the 7'5" demigod on the other side, and the battles that those two could have for years and years to come.

Edwards returned from a two-game injury absence and ascended to another planet over the course of 40 minutes on Saturday. He's had some outstanding games in a season where he's taken the leap to MVP contender status, but this was his magnum opus. Ant scored a career-high 55 points on 19-of-33 shooting, hitting 9 of his 16 threes. 26 of those points came in the fourth quarter, which is the highest-scoring quarter by an NBA player so far this season.

If it weren't for Victor Wembanyama's presence, Edwards would've almost single-handedly willed his team to an unbelievable comeback. It's hard to describe the zone that Ant was in during this game, especially in the fourth quarter. He drained threes like it was nothing. He splashed difficult midrange jumpers, which he's been doing all season. He got to the rim at will. It was a spectacular display of three-level scoring dominance. If you didn't watch the game, the highlights are mandatory viewing.

Anthony Edwards 55 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 19/33 FG, 9/16 3FG, 8/10 FT, 73.5% TS vs Spurs https://t.co/mB7JhzygIQ pic.twitter.com/1WLaSjNeOe
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) January 18, 2026

It was simply a special performance by a special player. At 24 years old, Edwards continues to make a strong case to be a first team All-NBA selection. Even in a league with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, he can't be completely ruled out as an MVP candidate. And he certainly better be the Clutch Player of the Year. Ant continued his flat-out ridiculous clutch shooting this season by going 4 for 5 with three three-pointers in clutch time against the Spurs.

Not to be outdone, Wembanyama had quite the night of his own, including some huge late shots to respond to Edwards' punches. The 22-year-old alien scored 39 points on 12-of-23 shooting with four threes, nine rebounds, and a couple blocks. The sequence that summed up a night of pure NBA entertainment came when Ant and Wemby traded two buckets apiece in a 43-second span with a few minutes to go.

ANT BUCKET.
WEMBY BUCKET.
ANT BUCKET.
WEMBY BUCKET.

ANT HAS 51. WEMBY HAS 38.

2-POINT GAME WITH UNDER 2 MINS TO GO. pic.twitter.com/vPk0edVXph
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2026

"I love it," Edwards said after the game. "I love it. I wish we could've just moved everybody out the way and checked up, me versus him."

And who would win that 1-on-1 matchup?

"Me," Edwards said.

Anthony Edwards — Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

"It's the best thing to have the best players go as hard as they can," Wembanyama said. "It makes us better, it makes me better. It's a show of respect."

In the end, the Wolves couldn't quite hold onto a one-point lead in the final minute, which they got from back-to-back Donte DiVincenzo corner threes. Wembanyama hit a go-ahead jumper from the top of the key with 53 seconds left. He then saved the lead by blocking Wolves rookie Joan Beringer at the rim, and Keldon Johnson delivered a huge three-pointer on the ensuing possession. Edwards hit his ninth three to surpass his career high in points and cut the deficit to one, but the Spurs hit enough free throws to hold on and survive.

But again, the final result is only part of the story. It was one game out of 82 in the regular season. This night was about the battle between 24-year-old Anthony Edwards and 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama, who look like the two futures faces of the NBA. One is a shooting guard from Atlanta who is undeniably Jordan-esque in his talent, confidence, and charisma. The other is a big man from France whose size and skill make him unlike anything the sport has ever seen before.

On Saturday night, the two went head to head, and it made for an astonishing display of basketball. That battle will be a fun one to watch for a long time. And if we get lucky, maybe we'll get a six or seven-game postseason series between the Timberwolves and Spurs in a few months.

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