"It worked tonight in our favor": Anthony Edwards downplays T'Wolves dominance in blowout Game 2 win, expects Nuggets to swing back
Anthony Edwards isn’t getting carried away by Minnesota Timberwolves’ dominant 106-80 win over defending champions Denver Nuggets to go up 2-0 in a Western Conference semifinal series. The 22-year-old is having the season of his life for the Wolves as he’s averaging 37 points, grabbing nearly 8 rebounds and 5 assists per night over the last 4 games.
The Ant-Man was keen to play down the significance of the result against a team that beat Timberwolves 4-1 in round 1 of playoffs last season, saying he was happy with the win but also stressed that the defending champions wouldn't repeat the same performance at Target Center.
When asked if he was surprised that the Nuggets didn't come out with the first punch, Anthony Edwards was humble in his response:
“Nah, not at all. It worked in our favor tonight that's all,” he said. “We made shots, they didn't. That's the defending champs over there. They're not gonna come out and play like that again. We gotta be ready to take their punch.”
“I don't give a damn if we go up 3-0, for Game 4 we gonna come out punching, too. So, they gotta be ready to take our punch and we will be ready to take their punch," he added.
Anthony Edwards continues fine form for Wolves
The Nuggets, who have dominated for the past two years, appeared to be without a game plan when it comes to facing Anthony Edwards & Co. The MJ-lookalike clearly emerged as the best player on the court over the course of the two games, scoring 43 and 27 points respectively.
Despite Gobert's absence, Minnesota secured a crucial win against the reigning champions on Tuesday. Anthony Edwards finished the night with an impressive stat line of 27 points, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists, all while shooting a blistering 64% from the field.
Karl-Anthony Towns also provided much-needed offensive power as he also finished with 27 points. They now head back home to Minneapolis with a series lead, ready to face off in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series this Friday.
Edwards, who has already made significant strides in such a short period, shattering the 20-year playoff drought by helping the Wolves win their first series since 2004. Now, he has a golden opportunity to lead the young Wolves to their franchise's first championship title and add a coveted MVP trophy to his cabinet as well.