He had a big smile, shirtless in the locker room, to respond to journalists after the match. Anthony Edwards kept it again when he mentioned the perfect performance of Nikola Jokic, author of a match with 40 points and 13 assists, without a single lost ball.
“I just laughed. That's all I could do.”, he explains to comment on the Serbian's third quarter. “I can't be angry. He is strong. I said it after the first two games of the series: he's the MVP, the best player in the NBA. He showed it the last three meetings. He was special in this match, I take my hat off to him. It was huge. »
Intense double takes
The performance of the Nuggets pivot contrasts with his. So brilliant since the start of the series, the Minnesota back was asphyxiated with 18 points at 5/15 shooting, 9 assists and 4 lost balls. Denver's defense was very well organized to contain him.
“I tried to find the open player because they wouldn’t leave me alone until I let go of the ball”, he remarks. Were the Nuggets' two-man shots so strong in Game 5, compared to others during the season? ” Yes. It was crazy. It was crazy “he laughs.
“We knew we had to do things differently with him. He crushes everyone by himself”Michael Malone justifies himself since the Minnesota player averaged 33 points before this meeting. “We decided to do two takes, to trap him, to go out after the screens. It takes a lot of effort and it's a big part of our victory. »
The absence of Mike Conley weighed
Anthony Edwards had a few opportunities in one-on-one or penetration but he narrowly missed, even seeming to hesitate against the Nuggets defenders. Which contrasted with his aggressiveness from previous matches.
“They did double takes on Anthony. We knew it was going to happen in this series and even more so with the absence of Mike (Conley). He was overall patient and moved the ball around. Maybe we were a little slow at times, but we had some good shots that didn't go in.”judge Chris Finch, who insisted on the lack left by his playmaker, who gives breathing space to Wolves' best scorer.
Three defeats in a row for the group, a failed Game 5 for the player: the Wolves and Anthony Edwards are, for the first time in the playoffs, in the tough and even with their backs to the wall now. How did the reigning champions manage to reverse the trend when after Game 2, so impressive, everything seemed to be going well for Minnesota?
” I don't know. They play better than us, they dominate us, play harder, go after the balls. Everything is going their way,” list the All-Star. “They have the momentum with them and we’re going to have to find a way to get it back on our side. »
| Anthony Edwards | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2020-21 | MIN | 72 | 32 | 41.7 | 32.9 | 77.6 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 19.3 |
| 2021-22 | MIN | 72 | 34 | 44.1 | 35.7 | 78.6 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 21.3 |
| 2022-23 | MIN | 79 | 36 | 45.9 | 36.9 | 75.6 | 0.6 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 24.6 |
| 2023-24 | MIN | 79 | 35 | 46.1 | 35.7 | 83.6 | 0.7 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 25.9 |
| Total | 302 | 34 | 44.6 | 35.3 | 79.3 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 22.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
