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Anthony Edwards out-duels Suns’ superstars as Wolves sweep Phoenix

jace frederick, pioneer press
·5 min read

PHOENIX — Suns stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant showed up in Game 4 on Sunday, clearly determined to not get swept.

Booker poured in 49 points on 13-for-21 shooting. Durant had 33 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The Suns’ best players brought their best effort and delivered their best fight of the series.

And yet they were still knocked out by the best player on the floor over the past week. That was 22-year-old Anthony Edwards, who has been brilliant all week, and saved his best for last.

Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half Sunday to lift Minnesota to a 122-116 victory over the Suns at Footprint Arena to sweep their first-round playoff series in four games.

“I was just ultra aggressive, man,” Edwards said. “The first half, I got all my teammates involved and that was pretty much the game plan. Get everybody involved. And the second half, it’s time to win at that point. I’ve got to shoot my shots and keep confidence in myself.”

Durant gave Edwards a big hug and spoke with the Wolves’ star guard as soon as the series ended in what felt like a passing of the torch. Durant has been one of the best players in the NBA over the past 15 years. The Suns forward has now been eclipsed. Edwards has taken his place in that stratosphere.

“So impressed with Ant,” Durant said. “My favorite player to watch. Just grown so much since he came into the league. At 22, just his love for the game shines bright. That’s one of the reasons I like him the most, because he just loves basketball. He’s grateful to be in this position. He’s taken advantage of every opportunity he’s gotten. Love everything about Ant. Everything.”

Sunday’s victory gave Minnesota its first playoff sweep in franchise history, and first series victory since 2004. The Wolves will meet the winner of the Lakers-Nuggets series in the Western Conference semifinals.

If Denver closes out the Lakers in Game 5 on Monday, the Wolves will play Game 1 in Denver on Saturday. If the Lakers win Monday, Minnesota will open its next series next Monday.

Edwards was spectacular in every sense Sunday, not only putting the Suns to bed, but tucking them in and reading them a bedtime story. He hit dagger shots, delivered a critical block to deter a Booker finish at the rim, and threw down a thunderous slam that sent social media ablaze.

The decisive blow came with 20 seconds to play, when Edwards ran the length of the floor to put Minnesota up six.

Game, series.

Edwards finished the game with 40 points, nine boards and six assists.

The Wolves have struggled with late-game execution all season, sporting one of the worst clutch-time net ratings in the NBA post-Christmas. But the plan Sunday was clear and and decisive — allow Edwards to control the game. That’s much easier done now that Edwards has earned a knack for reading defenses and making the proper decisions.

“Obviously, he’s going to make big shots and big plays. That’s what he does,” Wolves guard Mike Conley said. “But he really just manipulated the game. He was the other team getting tired and worn down. He just kept going and kept pushing. He didn’t let his ankle bother him, or anything else that was bothering him. He just kept pushing forward and that’s what leaders do.

“If we want to get to where we want to get to, he’s going to have to do that for us.”

It’s a near lock for Minnesota that, with the ball in Edwards’ hands, the Wolves will either generate an open look for someone or Edwards will impose his will. The latter was often effective in Game 4. Edwards scored 29 points in the second half to bring Minnesota back from a five-point halftime deficit.

“They stopped double teaming me, it was more like, ‘You’ve got to beat us,’ and I showed them, ‘You need to double me,’ ” Edwards said. “They wasn’t as much in the gaps as they were the first three games. I’m gonna take advantage of that every chance I get.”

Minnesota struggled to shoot in the first half. Karl-Anthony Towns — who finished with 28 points and 10 boards — hit all three of his 3-point tries over the first two quarters, while the rest of the Wolves went 1 for 17.

Minnesota found its stroke in the third quarter, though. The Wolves went 6 for 9 from deep in the frame in a major show of offensive burst behind Edwards’ excellence.

Still, Phoenix stuck with Minnesota, as the Wolves weren’t as sharp defensively as they’d been in prior contests throughout the series. Booker and Durant finally looked like All-Stars and found their way to the rim more often than Minnesota would’ve liked as Rudy Gobert struggled with foul trouble.

Also: After collision with Mike Conley, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch suffers ruptured tendon.

But, in the end, they were out-dueled. MVP chants rained down in Phoenix’s house not for Booker or Durant, but for Edwards as the Wolves’ fans in attendance stuck around after the game to shower their young star with praise.

Anthony Edwards has arrived. He has now won a playoff series, but he and his team are in search of far more.

“It means a lot, but at the same time, it’s just one step of the way,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “But, obviously, for this franchise, for these fans, for this organization, it feels good.”

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