Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards blasted through the gate on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks. “Ant-Man” scored 24 points in the first quarter to lead the Timberwolves to an early 34-26 lead. Edwards didn’t have trouble punishing whoever Mavs coach Jason Kidd put on him.
After playing the entire first period, Edwards checked into the game midway through the second quarter to relieve Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The All-Star guard took only one shot, a 25-footer, but missed it.
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Edwards’ time on the bench was the cue the Mavericks needed to get momentum. The visitors got going and rolled to a 61-59 lead after the end of two quarters.
“Ant-Man” added five more points to his total but also committed a handful of turnovers. Dallas’ defense, after getting punished in the first quarter, continued to make life difficult for Edwards and his teammates. The Mavericks outscored the Timberwolves 67-48 in the second and third periods to extend their lead to 93-82 before the final frame.
Anthony Edwards scored eight points in the fourth quarter, five coming in the final 59 seconds. But, he had a couple of misses and a costly error with 13.0 seconds remaining in the game. The Timberwolves’ last-ditch rally was a little too late as the Mavericks walked away with a 120-114 win.
Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ error-prone ways cost them the game
Anthony Edwards committed five of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 20 turnovers, twice as many as the Dallas Mavericks had. Luka Doncic and Co. punished the hosts’ error-prone ways by scoring 25 points off those mistakes. It was the only advantage the Mavs needed to beat the Timberwolves despite a sizzling start by “Ant-Man.”
Naz Reid and Julius Randle had a few unforced errors that took the rhythm out of the Timberwolves offense. The home team had several opportunities to chase down the Mavericks but shot themselves in the foot with errors.
The Timberwolves shot 50.6%, including 48.7% from deep, outrebounded the Mavericks and had more assists than their opponents. However, they could not overcome the points conceded off their turnovers, helping the Mavs win.
Edited by Michael Macasero