SALT LAKE CITY — One thunderous dunk provided a perfect snapshot of Anthony Edwards’ second-half dominance Monday night.
Edwards threw down a monster slam over John Collins of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after the play.
“I was thinking I was going to miss it because I wasn’t close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me,” said Edwards, who scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime.
The play immediately went viral on social media. Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said it might have been the best dunk he has ever witnessed in person.
“He’s like a cat almost,” Conley said. “He just keeps going forward and lands on his feet. Stuff like that is what makes him who he is and why he can maneuver in the game how he does.”
Edwards said he grew up idolizing players such as Vince Carter who were known for their dunking ability and that dunking the way they did has always been a goal for him.
His slam on Monday certainly put him in that category.
“It gives me chills, man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,” Edwards said.
Collins and Edwards were both injured on the play.
Edwards dislocated his left ring finger after his hand collided with Collins’ cheekbone. He raced back to the locker room during a subsequent timeout, popped the finger back in place, got it taped up and returned to action.
Collins was ruled out for the entire fourth quarter while being evaluated for a possible concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.
Edwards’ dunk gave a short-handed Minnesota team an emotional boost during a critical stretch. The Timberwolves lost Naz Reid to a first-half head injury, and they already were playing without injured starters Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“It gives me chills, man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that.”Anthony Edwards
“It gives everybody energy,” Edwards said. “It makes everybody want to defend, want to get stops. It makes the game more exciting.”
Edwards also totaled 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks over 38 minutes. His relentless energy on both ends of the court put the Jazz on their heels throughout the second half.
“That’s who he is,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “He’s an All-Star. He’s a hell of a player.”
Edwards has had three consecutive 30-point games. He averaged 31.5 points in back-to-back wins over Utah on 58% shooting from the field.
“He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now, he’s like way more polished with what he’s doing. He’s a little more composed, not rushing it as much.”
News
Test đẩy bài từ cms
Test đẩy bài từ cms, xóa sau khi dùng.
BREAKING: NFL Unanimously Votes In New Controversial Rule
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) The NFL seems to be destined to ban the hip-drop tackle this week. The league office wants to ban a certain type of hip-drop tackle. The NFLPA disagrees. The owners voted on it. On Monday, it was…
Everyone Noticed The Same Strange Thing About This Year’s NFL Coaches Photo
Fans had questions after five NFL head coaches missed out on the league’s annual photo this week. Most of the coaches are in Orlando, Florida at the moment as the NFL annual owners meeting is taking place there. So they came together…
5 Most Overrated NFL Free Agent Signings Of 2024 So Far…And 5 Most Underrated That Are Flying Under The Radar
Now that most of the top 2024 NFL free agents are off the board, it’s a good time to look at which highly-anticipated signings are bound to disappoint — and which under-the-radar moves will pay more dividends than you think. So with…
Ranking The Craziest NFL Free Agent Deals Of All-Time From WORST To FIRST
Free agency completely changes the landscape of professional sports. When a player’s contract is up—he can go to any team and drastically alter the balance of power in the league. The NFL is no different. All it takes is one crazy deal…
BREAKING: AFC Super Bowl Contender Has Officially Made A Contract Offer To Odell Beckham Jr.
The Miami Dolphins have some interest in veteran playmaker, Odell Beckham Jr. Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel spoke to reporters about the team’s early offseason at the NFL annual meeting Monday at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes and informed everyone that the Dolphins and Odell Beckham Jr….
End of content
No more pages to load