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Stephen A. Smith calls Anthony Edwards 'Jordanesque' after win in Denver

Ant was quiet for three quarters before lighting it up down the stretch for the Timberwolves.
Will Ragatz|
Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome.
Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Heading into the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's game against the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards had just 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting. He was settling for threes that weren't going in and was struggling to make his usual impact on the action.

And then, as he so often does, he came to life when the Timberwolves needed him most. With Minnesota trailing by 11 almost halfway through the fourth quarter, Edwards scored 13 points over the remainder of the period, including two huge back-to-back threes with a little over two minutes on the clock.

He then scored six points in the first overtime period and five more in the second OT, helping will his team to a 140-139 victory in one of the most thrilling games of this entire NBA season. In total, Edwards finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists across 50 minutes.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was impressed.

"Ant-Man is one of the greatest shows in basketball," Smith said on First Take Wednesday morning. "And I'm gonna encourage the NBA and everybody involved to continue to watch this brother and put that brother on national television, because he is something to behold.

"We know, this brother, he goes airborne, it's a problem. Have you seen the way he works on his shot? Have you seen his jumper improve? ... I'm just watching his game, it's Jordanesque. You understand what I'm saying? And he shows up when it counts. He's one of those cats, if you're watching it on TV, you're looking at your clock, alright, game winding down, he's going to respond at some point. This is what he does."

It's far from the first time the 23-year-old Edwards has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan. It's an unfair comparison, realistically, and one that Ant has dismissed in the past. But five years into his NBA career, he's shown that special ability to go to another level when the stakes are at their highest, particularly in the playoffs. That's what you want to see out of your franchise superstar. Edwards' transcendent talent — and his tendency to rise to the moment — is the biggest reason why the Wolves have a chance to once again be a very dangerous team in the postseason.

Ant is averaging 27.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists this season. He's likely going to be a second team All-NBA player for the second consecutive year. And his 292 three-pointers, which he's hit at a 39.4 percent rate, are tied with former teammate Malik Beasley for the NBA lead. It's been a special season for Minnesota's face of the franchise.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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