Anthony Edwards did everything right for the Timberwolves in Game 1

On and off the court, Anthony Edwards did exactly what the Timberwolves needed him to do in their emphatic 117-95 Game 1 victory over the Lakers on Saturday night.

It wasn't a huge scoring night for Edwards, who finished fourth in the NBA with 27.6 points per game in the regular season. He had 22 points on 22 shot attempts in this one. But the buckets will come over the course of this series. What was so impressive about Edwards' performance was the way he took what the Lakers' defense was giving him and made plays for his teammates.

Ant ended up with eight rebounds and nine assists to go along with his 22 points. He committed just one turnover in the game, which occurred a little over a minute after the opening tip. Facing plenty of defensive attention from the Lakers, he used his gravity and patience to kick the ball out to his teammates for open shots; seven of his nine assists resulted in three-pointers splashing through the net. A big story in this game was the play of Jaden McDaniels (25 points) and Naz Reid (23). They obviously deserve tons of credit, but Edwards was also a major part of their offensive success.

"I would say the best version of Ant is one that's flirting with a triple-double, and tonight he had nine assists, eight rebounds, made some timely shots like he always does," head coach Chris Finch said. "Got his teammates involved with even more timely passing. Some of those were when they were making a little bit of a run or when they were starting to commit two or three to him. He's just gotten way more comfortable with it. He knows what he wants to do before he starts. All credit to him."

📹All 9 AST from Anthony Edwards G1 vs LAL ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/99a6I8jWzg
— Jonah (@Huncho_Jman) April 20, 2025

Edwards' growth as a playmaker was on full display in this game. Perhaps just as important is his growth as a leader. Finch and multiple players said afterwards that Edwards was very vocal at halftime, explaining to his teammates where he wanted them to be on the floor to take advantage of openings in the Lakers' defense.

"Going into the second half, I was telling my teammates how we could space the floor to hurt them," Edwards said. "And we did that in the third, coming right out, and that's how we got that big lead, spacing the floor the right way. Because they tilt the floor heavy on me and Julius (Randle), so just being able to make the right reads all throughout the night."

The Wolves led by 11 at halftime after a second quarter where they outscored the Lakers 38-20. Then they came out of the locker room and kept pouring it on, increasing their lead to 27 with five minutes left in the third. Edwards had 14 points (including all four of his threes), six rebounds, and six assists in the second half after having just an 8-2-3 line in the first half.

"His leadership, how he's been leading us, as young as he is, it's kinda crazy to me," Reid said. "You would think he's 30 (years old), seriously. Just how vocal he is. He wants to win, you can tell. He's desperate. And he wants his teammates to do well as well. Him being the leader that he is, it just falls down the line."

That leadership element is something the 23-year-old Edwards has gradually grown into during his five NBA seasons. He's always been supportive of his teammates — "two best players on floor tonight, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels," he said postgame — but he's become more of a vocal presence in the locker room over the years.

"It's 15 grown men in the locker room," Edwards said. "Everybody got emotions. Knowing how to talk to everybody, you can't deliver a message the same way one through 15. You know what I'm saying? Some guys I gotta talk to, pull 'em to the side, some guys I can cuss at 'em. Just different ways. Not being afraid of doing that, I think that's the main thing. I stepped into that role and my teammates trust me and they listen, so it's a privilege to have guys like that."

Edwards left Saturday's game for a bit with a calf cramp but was able to return and should be good to go for Game 2 on Tuesday. If the Wolves are going to win this series, they'll need their best player to continue to lead them and continue to strike the right balance — based on what the defense is doing — between hunting his own shot and setting up his teammates. When Ant plays like he did in Game 1, particularly in the second half, there's no ceiling to how far this Wolves team can go.

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