The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled out a comeback win over the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City, 135-119, thanks to a massive 45-24 fourth quarter. In the victory, the Wolves put together a balanced scoring effort, with Anthony Edwards leading with 33 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Meanwhile, new trade acquisition Julius Randle scored 22 points and grabbed ten boards, while Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert, who scored 21 points and hauled nine rebounds, praised Anthony Edwards’ steady improvement.
“We’ve been working,” Gobert said, via Timberwolves Clips on X, formerly Twitter. “Every year, [Ant’s] playmaking has gotten better, and this is the year where I feel like he’s really seeing what’s happening on the floor… whether it’s the bounce pass or the lob, he’s able to make those passes.”
The Wolves’ young star shines
Besides the comeback win, Rudy Gobert’s praise for fellow Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards also meant more as Ant-Man made history against the Bulls on Thursday.
With his 33 points, Edwards has played his 69th career 30-point game, which ties Lakers star Anthony Davis for 15th all time for players 23 years old and below, per Joey Linn for Sports Illustrated.
Right below Ant is Michael Jordan, whom Edwards considered the only skilled player back in the 1990s, earning criticism from Lakers legend Magic Johnson and Paul George.
The young Wolves star’s improvement as a player also comes with his drive to reach consistent postseason success, after making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season.
“I don’t want to be a team that’s like been to the playoffs a couple times and then don’t go back,” Edwards said, via Ryan Eichten for SB Nation. “Or been to the WCF and don’t go back. I don’t want to be that guy that had a moment.”
However, he also acknowledged that he and his team still have work to do on the defensive end.
“I don’t know if we’d be tight or cold or what it is. Because I have no excuse. I don’t know why I don’t play defense early in the game. But I’m a part of it too. We all just got to be better,” Ant added.
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Ant-Man heroics
Still, Edwards’ ability to shut the door on teams with his scoring has become a valuable part of the Wolves’ attack this season. He scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to extend their lead from a single point to 17 in only five minutes.
Moreover, the Timberwolves trading Karl-Anthony Towns for complementary players in the offseason signaled that Anthony Edwards now holds the keys to the team, and they’ll go as far as he can take them.
So far, they’ve stumbled to a 5-3 record, but they remain one of the league’s few title contenders.