by Anthony Edwards continued to show what he can do as a true power forward option in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 116-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
With Karl-Anthony Towns still out, Rudy Gobert was also ruled out in the hours leading up to the tip, leaving the home Timberwolves as underdogs against a full Mavericks pack.
But after one of the best games of his career against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday — when Edwards had 37 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds — the former number one draft pick proved it was no fluke.
Playing against Dallas’ Luka Doncic, arguably the league’s best solo show, Edwards produced an all-around performance with 27 points (seven-of-21 shooting), 13 rebounds and nine assists, helping his team build a 20-point buffer in last quarter view.
After passing just six assists in two of his first 23 games this season, Edwards has now recorded at least seven in five of his last eight outings.
He was backed strongly against the Mavericks by Naz Reid, with the sweet shooting center taking full advantage of his team’s absences and his role expanded. He had 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 13 rebounds, following a performance of 28 points and nine rebounds on Friday.
Doncic was quiet in his 28 minutes, hitting just five of 17 from the field for 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The win is the Timberwolves’ third in a row, taking their record above .500 to 16-15 after starting the season 2-6.
Giannis, Lopez dominate the inside of the Pelicans
Giannis Antetokoumpo had the third-highest point total of the season as he dropped 42 points in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 128-119 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Both teams entered the competition in the top three of their respective conferences, but it was the 2021 NBA champions who came out on top, with Antetokounmpo shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 17-of-22 from the free throw line while adding 10 rebounds .
Brook Lopez was equally impressive, also shooting 12-of-17 from the field for 30 points, though his league-leading figure in blocks per game (2.8) took a small dip after blocking just one shot against the Pelicans .
Young leads the Hawks offense
Trae Young had his fifth game of the season with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a close 126–125 win, snapping an Orlando Magic six-game hitting streak.
Young finished with 37 points on 11-of-22 shooting while also providing 13 assists. None of his teammates have scored more than rookie AJ Griffin’s 19 off the bench.
It was arguably former number one draft pick Markelle Fultz’s best game of the season, posting 24 points with nine assists and six rebounds as the Magic’s starting point guard.
