'I've never seen a series end 2-1': Edwards delivers on halftime message in Game 4

Edwards exploded for 16 points in the third quarter to give the Wolves to a win and a 3-1 series lead over the Warriors.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards reacts after making a 3-pointer against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter during Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal at Chase Center in San Francisco on May 12, 2025. | Cary Edmondson / Imagn Images

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch wasn't pleased with his team's performance at halftime Monday night.

The Timberwolves trailed the Golden State Warriors 60-58 at the break in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal at Chase Center in San Francisco. Jonathan Kuminga was wreaking havoc to the tune of 16 points, Golden State's offense was humming and Minnesota's defense frequently broke down. The intensity just wasn't there from the start of the game.

"At halftime, coach came in and just said we was playing like we already won the series, pretty much," star Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards told reporters postgame. "And I didn't like that. I didn't like how we was playing overall, and I didn't like how I was playing individually, so I knew I had to pick it up."

Edwards sure picked it up, and so did the Timberwolves. Edwards scored 11 points during a 17-0 Minnesota run that all but put the game away. He scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter overall, and the Wolves won the frame 39-17. Finch said postgame that Edwards was one of the most vocal players in the locker room, driving the coach's point home.

"I told them, 'We only got two wins,'" Edwards said. "I've never seen a series end 2-1. I told them, 'We got to get two more wins, and right now, we playing like we already got four wins. We playing like they gonna lay down.' And knowing this team and knowing their head coach, they're never going to lay down. ... If we would've kept playing like that, we would've lost."

Edwards made sure the Wolves didn't keep playing like that with his torrid third quarter, which ultimately propelled them to a 117-110 victory, and with it, a 3-1 series lead. He and Julius Randle combined for 61 points to lead the win, and it was the dominant third-quarter flurry from Edwards that put the game away. And what does a scoring run like that feel like?

"It's the best feeling ever," he said.