Minnesota Timberwolves star, Anthony Edwards poured in 44 points in the game against the Indiana Pacers and sealed the win with a last-second block on Aaron Nesmith’s layup attempt. The Timberwolves beat the Pacers 113-111.
Timberwolves Star Scores 44 Points, Seals Win Against Pacers With Last-second Block
In the absence of All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, the Minnesota Timberwolves needed all 44 points from Anthony Edwards to win their second straight game and remain in the hunt to finish the season as the first seed in the Western Conference.
Minnesota moved into the top spot in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of Oklahoma City.
Rudy Gobert contributed to the win with 18 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals on 7-of-11 shooting. He’s putting the finishing touches on a potential Defensive Player of the Year award-winning season.
Five Timberwolves players finished with double-digit points.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had a double-double in the losing effort posting a stat line of 23 points, 13 assists on 9-for-15 shooting. Pascal Siakam finished the night with 24 points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Timberwolves held the NBA’s 2nd most efficient team offensively to 111 points, well below their season average of 223.5. The Wolves have built their identity this season on the defensive end (first in the NBA in defensive rating) and lived up to that notoriety on the night.
It was a back-and-forth game that neither team led by more than five over the final 20 minutes.
Anthony Edwards is a Superstar in the Making
The 44 points he scored on the night tied his season high. He had to limp off the floor 26 seconds into the game. He would come back from the locker room to finish the half with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Down the stretch, Anthony Edwards took over the game. He scored his team’s final eight points over the final 90 seconds. Here are the plays:
Score tied 105-105, here’s the full compilation of what Anthony Edwards just did in the final ~minute to secure the victory for Minnesota pic.twitter.com/lRqjx97OFg
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 8, 2024
Arguably, his best play of the game came on defense as time expired.
After a missed free throw by Edwards, the Pacers got the rebound and pushed the ball down the court to beat the shot clock.
Nesmith got the ball in transition and went for an open layup after getting the ball around Mike Conley in the paint. Unknown to him, Edwards had tracked the ball from his free throw miss.
Anthony Edwards soared to reject the last-second layup by Nesmith as the buzzer went off.
I encourage everyone to watch THE ANTHONY EDWARDS game from tonight! pic.twitter.com/Eok3YraPt5
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) March 8, 2024
Rick Carlisle, coach of the Indiana Pacers had this to say about his performance:
” His shot was next level. Even when we double-teamed him, he got away from us. Look, he’s a great player and that’s why every second of every minute of every game matters.”
“I ain’t never jumped that high in my life”
He hit his head on the rim and landed on his wrist as he got up to make that last-second play. He told Bally Sports North after the game:
“I hit my head, I think on the rim. It’s hurting badly, and I landed on my wrist. I saw him in the lane, I knew he was going for the layup, but I was like, ‘Man, I finna go get this.’ I ain’t never jumped that high in my life.”
