Even if the Wolves owe a debt of gratitude to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, decisive with his 3-pointer to wake up his teammates, history will remember that it was against the Wizards that Anthony Edwards crossed the 50 mark for the first time career points.
Before the meeting, his record dated April 7, 2022 with 49 points against Spurs, and last night, he had to roll up his sleeves to avoid a big disappointment. To do this, he scored 30 points in the second half, to finish at 51 points. Both marks are career bests, and he credits Chris Finch for keeping him under pressure.
“The coach took me into his office two or three days ago, and he told me: 'Look, we have this game against Washington, and we have to win it. We have to be prepared, and we can't approach it as if it were a match like any other.” says Edwards.
And yet, despite this warning, the Wolves will get off to the worst possible start, to the point of being down by 21 points after 11 minutes of play! And then, upon returning from the locker room, Edwards will pull out all the stops. As Jaden McDaniels explained the day before, “it’s the Michael Jordan current“. Faced with the Wizards on their heels, the All-Star guard will give them the all-around.
The 5th mark in franchise history
“We needed each of his points” assures Finch. “The most important thing, for me, is that he got them into the tempo of the attack. He continued to play right at the end. He really found the guys, and they made their shots. He was aggressive towards the circle. I think he and Nickeil turned the tide of the match. »
Upon arrival, Edwards compiled 51 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds on 17 of 29 shots. He won the 5th mark in the history of his franchise, and became the first Wolves player to compile at least 50 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a game. But no time to celebrate with 50 Cent, present in the front row, since tonight is the Western Conference “final” with the clash against the Nuggets. “Needless to say, it’s an important match.” concludes Edwards.
| 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 | 75 | 35 | 45.9 | 36.0 | 83.1 | 0.7 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 26.0 |
| Total | 298 | 34 | 44.6 | 35.4 | 79.0 | 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.
