Anthony

Edwards

The final two games of the Western Conference Finals are not going to be part of Edwards’ career highlight reel. While the final point total in Game 5 was solid, the Timberwolves’ star guard did not grab control of the game from the start as many hoped he would. Regarding Edwards’ fantasy value, while he did not match his Yahoo! ADP of 10, he was close in eight- and nine-cat formats. Edwards was a top-20 player in both, making him worth the risk many fantasy managers took in drafts. He’ll be a worthwhile first-round pick in standard leagues in the fall.

Surprisingly, Edwards only attempted two shots during the first half of Game 4. A little too willing to allow the game to come to him, the Timberwolves’ star was more aggressive after halftime, even if that did not mean more shots for him early on. Edwards’s ability to get into the paint led to others getting clean looks, helping Minnesota trim the deficit. Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, while Edwards was better after halftime, Julius Randle (5/7/3/1 in 28 minutes) struggled, shooting 1-of-7 from the field. With their season on the line Wednesday night, Minnesota will need Edwards and Randle to be on their A-games from the start in Game 5.

Edwards was locked in from the jump in a must-win situation in a pivotal Game 3 showdown. The 23-year-old shooting guard outscored the entire Thunder team by himself (16-14) in the first quarter. The route was on from there as the Timberwolves took a 31-point lead into halftime and ended up winning by 42. Edwards joined Kobe Bryant and Luka Doncic as the only guards with at least 15 30-point playoff games before turning 24. Edwards and the Timberwolves will look to even the series in Game 4 on Monday.

Edwards’ offensive production picked up after he scored 18 points in Game 1, but the perimeter shooting remains troublesome. Having shot 3-of-8 from three in Game 1, he was even worse on Thursday, making just one of his nine attempts. Edwards shot 11-of-17 from two and got 10 free throw attempts, boosting the final point total, and he did not commit a turnover. Also, Edwards made history in Game 2, passing Kevin Garnett to become the leading postseason point scorer in franchise history. Given Oklahoma City’s depth and talent, Ant-Man will need his supporting cast to step up in Saturday’s Game 3 after many failed to do so on Thursday.

Edwards briefly went to the locker room in the first half to tend to an ankle injury that’s bothered him since the first round series against the Lakers. The story of this game, though, was the 23-year-old shooting guard’s inability to stop the Thunder’s runs in the second half. Edwards was a game-worst -23 in 37 minutes and only attempted one field goal in the fourth quarter. He’ll need to have better games than this if the Timberwolves are going to make this a series.

The turnovers weren’t pretty, but everything else went right for Edwards in Game 5 as Minnesota completed their second straight gentlemen’s sweep. He didn’t score 30 points, which he had done in the two games in Golden State, but Edwards did dish out a new playoff career high for assists in a new game, which also matches his career high for dimes in the regular season. This was a fantastic performance for Edwards, even if he didn’t dominate as a scorer. He’ll need to continue to play at a high level in the Western Conference Finals, whether it is against Oklahoma City or Denver.

Edwards has now had at least 30 points in back-to-back games. While the Warriors stayed with the Timberwolves in the first half, Minnesota turned it up a notch coming out of halftime. The Timberwolves won the third quarter by 22 points and the Warriors never recovered. Edwards and teammate Julius Randle became the first pair of Timberwolves with at least 30 points each in a playoff game since Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell in 2004. The Timberwolves will look to close out the series at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.

While Edwards was somewhat quiet in the first half with eight points, he went off in the second half with 28 points. It’s the highest-scoring half by anyone so far in these playoffs. Edwards threw in the dagger with a three-pointer that gave the Timberwolves a seven-point lead with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. Minnesota looks like the better team as they’ve convincingly won the last two games as the Warriors soldier on without Stephen Curry (hamstring). Edwards and the Timberwolves will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Game 4 on Monday.

Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.

The Timberwolves managed just 33 points in the first half. Despite the Warriors playing the entire second half without superstar Stephen Curry (hamstring), it was simply too much for Minnesota to overcome. Edwards eventually got the offense going in the second half, leading the team with 23 points. He’ll need to do more on the offensive end whether Curry is available or not if the Timberwolves are going to even up the series in Game 2.