Anthony Edwards' career-high 51-point performance rallies Wolves past Wizards
Edwards took over for the Timberwolves in the second half.
It couldn't have been a worse start for the Timberwolves, but it couldn't have been a better finish.
Anthony Edwards scored 30 of his career-high 51 points after halftime to help the Timberwolves rally from a 21-point first-quarter deficit and beat the Washington Wizards 130-121 Tuesday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. 50 Cent was even in the crowd to take in the 50 piece.
"I will say, it was (assistant coach Micah Nori's) birthday today and he turned 50, and I wanted to get 50 because of him, so shoutout to Micah," Edwards said in his postgame, on-court interview.
Edwards dazzled after a brutal start from the Timberwolves (55-24). Corey Kispert hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game for the Wizards (15-65), who quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead.
Trailing 31-17, Naz Reid caught Wizards guard Johnny Davis with an elbow and was hit with a Flagrant 2 foul upon review and was ejected from the game for "unnecessary and excessive contact."
But even without Reid, the Timberwolves were able to find a way back into the game.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker provided the early scoring punch, scoring 18 of his 23 points in the first half as Minnesota whittled down its deficit to 10 points by the halftime break.
Then Edwards took over in the third quarter. He knocked down shots from 3, got to the rim and hit a pretty turnaround jumper off the glass in the frame as the Wizards' lead got smaller and smaller. His 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 2 seconds remaining in the quarter gave the Timberwolves a 92-89 lead, their first of the contest.
Edwards finished with seven assists and six rebounds to go along with the 51 points.
“The best thing about it, for me, was they came in the flow, he kept making the right play down the stretch and for the most part he was really finding people," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "Guys were knocking down some shots for him, too. He was aggressive getting to the hoop."
Rudy Gobert, meanwhile, was once again a monster on the glass, keeping plays alive on offense and crashing the boards on defense. He finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds.
With Reid out of the game, the Timberwolves needed someone else to provide a scoring boost early, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker delivered, scoring 18 of his 23 points in the first half. He shot 9 of 19, including a 4-of-9 mark from 3-point range.
The Timberwolves had a five-point lead over the Wizards (15-65) by the end of the third quarter, and Mike Conley knocked down a couple big 3-pointers with the Wizards clinging to their last chance to get back into the game. They never did.
Edwards poured in 13 more points in the fourth quarter, attacking the paint, knocking down 3s and finishing at the rim. It wasn’t the start the Timberwolves were looking for, but it was quite the finish.
Final key stats
- Anthony Edwards: 51 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 23 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
- Rudy Gobert: 19 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists, 2 steals
- Mike Conley: 15 points, 3 assists, 1 rebounds, 1 steal
