Anthony Edwards captured the spotlight after ending the Denver Nuggets’ playoff run on Sunday not for his performance in the Minnesota colors, but for his bold statement regarding opponent Jamal Murray.
After the game, when Ant-Man was surrounded by cameras and reporters in the Ball Arena hallways, he was heard saying, “I had Jamal in handcuffs.” This was not the first time Anthony Edwards made the headlines with his post-game antics at Ball Arena, but this time, it was different solely due to the winning feeling.
After being outscored by the Nuggets in the first half, Edwards knew he couldn’t solely rely on his offensive abilities but also display his skills at the other end of the court. So he allied with the defense line to hold back the Nuggets’ guard, and he succeeded in limiting Murray to 11 points.
While talking to TNT analyst Vince Carter, the 22-year-old opened up about the role he had to play in the fourth quarter. Edwards emphasized how he can contribute to a game beyond just scoring points. He said he took the challenge of defending Murray in the final quarter, which was a huge difference.
Despite Edwards guarding, Murray added a game-high 35 points, while the Nuggets’ leader, Nikola Jokic, contributed 34 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 assists. However, the franchise failed to show the collective teamwork that the T’Wolves displayed and flipped the script in the latter half with a 98-90 win. Sunday’s game was no one-off incident, as throughout the semifinal series, Anthony Edwards was a menace to the Denver side.
Anthony Edwards Relished Being Achilles Heel of Nuggets
Anthony Edwards opened the series with a massive 43-point performance, shooting 17-of-29 from the floor, 3-of-7 threes, and 6 accurate free throws. With his brilliance, he helped the team win their first game. His points dipped to 27 in the following game, but it was enough to beat the Nuggets.
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After winning two games on the road, the confident Wolves returned to the Target Center to impress the home crowd but instead faced a blow. The Ant-Man put up 19-6-5 on the scoreboard in Game 3, while the Nuggets came out stronger and took their first win. Edwards unleashed his demons in the next game and dropped 44 points along with 5 rebounds and assists each, blocked a shot and nabbed 2 steals, but he couldn’t repair the damage that Jokic and his Denver team had caused.
The Nuggets snatched the lead in Game 5, leaving the Minnesota guard with an 18-4-9 stat line, but Edwards didn’t give up and was confident that they would bounce back in the series and they did. The Wolves No. 1 overall pick made sure that he took up the responsibilities of not only the offense but the defense, too, and his scores were 27-4-4 and 16-8-7 in the last two dominant wins, where he spent more time guarding Denver’s offense. He will lead the franchise to its next venture against the Dallas Mavericks with his superpowers.
