The Minnesota Timberwolves got back their superstar, Anthony Edwards, and then returned to their winning ways with a 124-94 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Edwards, who had missed the Wolves’ prior six games due to pain in his right knee, was one of seven Minny players in double figures, finishing with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting in his return. Julius Randle led the way for the Wolves with 24 points, Ayo Dosunmu added 18 points and 12 dimes, and Donte DiVincenzo chipped in 15 on five treys.
Daniel Gafford had 21 to lead the Mavs, who scored the first three points of the game but were outscored 35-20 the rest of the first quarter as Minnesota raced out to an early commanding lead. Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg struggled with just 12 points on 5-for-19 shooting for the reeling Mavs, losers of seven of their last ten.
Anthony Edwards, the Missing Starter
The beginning of the game was curiously marked by some confusion as the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards went missing when Minnesota’s starting five were announced. The explosive guard had been penciled in as a starter and was announced as such, but it was Mike Conley who reported for the opening tip instead of the MVP candidate.
Asked about it later, Wolves coach Chris Finch offered a simple explanation: “Nature calls.”
Anthony Edwards had a more colorful description of why he wasn’t out in time for the opening tip: “I was taking a shit.”
Edwards then shouted out Conley, saying he “had my back” before admitting that he felt “miserable” missing games and that he was “like a kid in a candy store” in his first game back.
Awesome Ant
That kid in the candy store, though, did pretty well as according to Finch, his star guard “was awesome.”
“Ant was awesome, man,” Finch said. “His defense was outstanding. Just let the game come to him. Stayed aggressive. Made quicker decisions. And things looked kind of easy for him as a result.”
Incidentally, Anthony Edwards returned just in time, as Minnesota had just lost forward Jaden McDaniels to a left knee patella tendinopathy and a bone bruise.
The Wolves return to action on Friday against the Detroit Pistons, while the Mavs face the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow.
