Anthony Edwards shines, and delivers another poster slam, in Wolves' win over Knicks

Anthony Edwards threw down a highlight-reel slam over Precious Achiuwa.

ANOTHER ONE. 🔨

ANT» https://t.co/iBU749iEGO pic.twitter.com/YBqqyyHUvW
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 18, 2025

His poster slam was the start of a late fourth-quarter run the Minnesota Timberwolves utilized to pull away from the New York Knicks for a 116-99 victory Friday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. Edwards was fouled on the dunk, made the free throw, then he found Rudy Gobert on a lob the next possession before later draining a shot from downtown.

The 8-0 run gave the Timberwolves a 13-point lead with just over five minutes remaining. From there, Minnesota made the right plays, limited turnovers and put together a defensive effort that was reminiscent of last season's top-ranked unit.

Edwards constructed a masterclass and nearly posted a triple double. After lamenting the team's rebounding woes after Wednesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors, saying it's been the team's biggest issue through the halfway point of the season, he took it upon himself to fix the problem, pulling down a game-high 13 boards. He was routinely looking for his teammates, making quick passes en route to a game-high seven assists. That was in addition to his game-high 36 points.

The only knock on Edwards Friday night was his six turnovers. But he more than made up for them. Edwards shot 12 for 21, including 8 for 13 from 3-point range, despite getting off to a slow shooting start. He was utterly dominant.

Naz Reid was similarly brilliant a day after getting his jersey retired from Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey. Reid was 8 for 11 from the field, including a perfect 6 for 6 from 3, on his way to 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The Wolves (22-19) started strong after a disastrous first quarter last time out against the Warriors. And while the Knicks (27-18) were without Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota was down Donte DiVincenzo, who has been brilliant in recent weeks. Mike Conley returned to the starting lineup in his place and was key to the strong start early as he matched an aggressive Jalen Brunson. Conley scored 10 of his 13 points in the first quarter as Minnesota jumped out to a 28-21 lead after one.

Rob Dillingham made his return to the lineup after missing time due to injury and impressed in his first shift, bringing juice off the bench that included an impressive lob to Gobert. Dillingham had nine points and three assists in 13 minutes.

Rob Dillingham has the ball on an absolute STRING 😲

Gets into the paint for the lob up top to Rudy! pic.twitter.com/4m8aViGhdk
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2025

Julius Randle had a quiet game in his return to New York, but routinely made the right play. He wasn't particularly aggressive offensively, scoring eight points on just six shot attempts, but he had seven rebounds and six assists, and his playmaking was a driver of the offense. He was a plus-20, which was second best on the team to Edwards (plus-24).

Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points. Cameron Payne scored 18 off the bench.

It was a critical win for the Wolves, who are in the midst of a brutal stretch of games that includes a quick turnaround back to Minneapolis for a matchup against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at Target Center.