Mayor Jacob Frey declared Saturday "Wolves Playoff Day in Minneapolis.
And they felt it all the way to Memphis.
Anthony Edwards scored 36 points in his postseason debut, and the seventh-seeded Timberwolves stunned the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies 130-117 on Saturday to grab home-court advantage in the opener of their first-round Western Conference series.
''Putting on another show,'' said Edwards, the top overall pick in the 2020 draft. ''That's it. Putting on another show and impact winning.''
In his proclamation, Mayor Frey pointed out the resiliency of the people of Minneapolis and the Timberwolves family in recent years.
During the pandemic, Wolves all-star center Karl-Anthony Towns lost his mother, while the city dealt with the sometimes violent aftermath of the George Floyd murder.
Frey also mentioned how the Wolves recently dealt with the untimely death of former head coach Flip Saunders.
"The future of this franchise is bright, and the entire city of Minneapolis will be Raised by Wolves as they take the 2022 playoffs by storm," read the final line of the proclamation, right before Frey's signature.
The document also mentioned the Wolves' play-in victory over the LA Clippers, which touched off major celebrations on and off the court last week to herald the franchise's second postseason appearance since 2004.
Towns added 29 points and 13 rebounds. Malik Beasley had 23 points, and Jaden McDaniels 15. Patrick Beverley and D'Angelo Russell had 10 apiece.
The Timberwolves, fresh off beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in game, won their first playoff opener since 2004. That's when they beat Denver in the first round on their way to the Western Conference finals.
Towns said it was a good feeling walking off with a confidence-building win.
''We did a lot of little things that are needed to win,'' Towns said. ''We should be very proud of our performance.''
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Memphis.
In this matchup of the NBA's top-scoring offenses and two of the league's youngest teams this season, the Timberwolves set franchise records for points in both the first quarter and the game. They also stymied Memphis with their 3-point shooting, rebounding and defense.
The Timberwolves looked like a team that played Tuesday night needing a win to clinch its seeding. They opened with a 9-2 run and led by as much as 13 before a 41-33 lead for the franchise's highest-scoring first quarter in the playoffs.
Minnesota led 65-62 at halftime, then outscored Memphis 32-30 in the third for a 97-92 lead going into the fourth quarter.
This series pitting the top draft pick of the 2020 draft against the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 draft sure delivered in this game. Edwards and Ja Morant became the first opposing players in NBA history to each score at least 30 in a playoff game at the age of 22 or younger.
Edwards joined Derrick Rose, Tyler Herro and Magic Johnson scoring at least 35 points in a playoff game before turning 21.
''When he's playing basketball at this kind of level, he is almost unstoppable,'' Towns said. ''He is unstoppable, actually.''
TIP-INS
The Grizzlies hope to draw off their own playoff experience now down 0-1. Memphis won two play-in games last year and then opened the first-round series at Utah with a big win. The Grizzlies lost the next four.
''We were in the same situation last year,'' Morant said. ''A series can get out of hand quick.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Victory gives Wolves 1-0 lead in first-round series
