One thunderous dunk provided a perfect snapshot of Anthony Edwards’ second-half dominance Monday night.
Edwards threw down a monster slam over John Collins of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after the play.
“I was thinking I was going to miss it because I wasn’t close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me,” said Edwards, who scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime.
The play immediately went viral on social media. Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said it might have been the best dunk he’s ever witnessed in person. Edwards said it was his best ever.
“He’s like a cat almost,” Conley said. “He just keeps going forward and lands on his feet. Stuff like that is what makes him who he is and why he can maneuver in the game how he does.”
Edwards said he grew up idolizing players like Vince Carter who were known for their dunking ability. Dunking the way they did has always been a goal for Edwards.
His slam on Monday night certainly put him in that category.
“It gives me chills , man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,” Edwards said.
Collins and Edwards were both injured on the play. Edwards dislocated his left ring finger after his hand collided with Collins’ cheekbone. He raced back to the locker room during a subsequent timeout, popped the finger back in place, got it taped up and returned to action.
Collins was ruled out for the entire fourth quarter while being evaluated for a possible concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.
Edwards’ dunk gave a short-handed Minnesota team an emotional boost during a critical stretch. The Timberwolves lost Naz Reid to a first-half head injury and were already playing without injured starters Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“It gives everybody energy,” Edwards said. “It makes everybody want to defend, want to get stops. It makes the game more exciting.”
The dunk was so vicious and unexpected, it got the Utah Jazz home crowd to their feet in disbelief.
Edwards also totaled eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks over 38 minutes. His relentless energy on both ends of the court put the Jazz on their heels throughout the second half.
“That’s who he is,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “He’s an All-Star. He’s a hell of a player.”
Edwards has had three consecutive 30-point games. He’s averaged 31.5 points in back-to-back wins over Utah on 58% shooting from the field.
“He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now he’s like way more polished with what he’s doing. He’s a little more composed, not rushing it as much.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT FOR KAT?
Karl-Anthony Towns had surgery last week to repair damaged meniscus in his left knee. It's expected to keep the Wolves' All-Star not named Anthony Edwards out for at least a month. That means the bulk of what is left in the regular season with the playoffs looming.
The ninth-year forward is averaging 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while making a career-best 42.3% from 3-point range.
But, Karl-Anthony Towns is due a major raise after this season and with Edwards ascending to one of the best players in the league, and the team dealing with some huge contracts, the time has come where the speculation about Towns' future in Minnesota gets real.
Edwards could be getting a max contract, which hinges on if he makes an All-NBA team. That's getting closer to reality too.
The Wolves put a lot of money towards just a few players. That includes center Rudy Gobert, and young players like Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels.
In July of 2022, Towns signed a four-year $224 million supermax extension contract which will kick in from the 2024/25 season. The deal is fully guaranteed with an annual average salary of $55.6 million and comes with a final-year player option.
It's certainly a lot of money, but in the NBA "superstar" world, it's the going rate. But the Wolves go well over the luxury tax threshold if they keep Towns/Gobert/Edwards and other players and with new owners Marc Lorre and Alex Rodriguez taking over the team from longtime owner Glen Taylor, there's no reason to think they're interested in paying huge luxury tax penalties because the team is paying over the salary cap.
That means something has to give. The biggest cost saving move, and the move that could potentially bring the Wolves a decent return, is moving Towns.
"The Knicks last year were certainly interested in him," says Dave Schwartz on WCCO's The Huddle. "If they can get something, I wouldn't say players because salary's going to be an issue. I think at this point the roster looks really good. I say come back with a haul of draft picks and maybe this offseason you move Big Kat."
Towns will only be 29-years old during the 24-25 season so he's right in his prime and obviously one of the most talented scoring big men in the game.
"The more I think about it, the more I think it's a possibility," says Huddle co-host Pete Najarian. "I like where the Timberwolves are right now. I'd like to hold onto Karl, but I don't know. You have to at least consider it."
The Timberwolves are 4-2 without Towns so far during this latest stretch of missed games. They certainly would need his scoring and rebounding to make a playoff run. But the financial realities might make it his last go-round in Minnesota.