Anthony Edwards' trend went away in the last two games, and it shows something bigger

Sometimes when a star player goes off in the scoring department, it doesn’t translate to a win. Remarkably, the Nuggets were 0-4 when three-time MVP Nikola Jokic scored at least 50, until they finally won on November 12 this season on a night he dropped 55.

That hasn’t been the case for Anthony Edwards. Entering this season, the 2020 first overall selection had 19 outings of at least 40 points. Before this season, the Timberwolves’ record in those games was 15-4. Edwards scored 41 in their season-opening win over the Trail Blazers. In the last two games, though, he has also gone for 40+, except Minnesota lost both of those in meltdown fashion.

After the two losses, the Timberwolves now have a 16-6 record when Ant-Man scores at least 40 points. This trend, not holding up in the past two games, reflects a bigger theme for the Wolves. They can't just count on Edwards to carry the offense; other players have to provide consistent production.

In Monday's game, no other Wolves player notched more than 17 points. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo both scored 17 points, but they did so on a combined 10-27 shooting. Edwards took eight of the Wolves' 13 clutch time shots. For the Wolves to close out these games, it can no longer just be Edwards.

Edwards scores more than 40 in two straight losses

Last Friday, after being in a brief cold spell, Edwards went off for 41 points on 14-24 shooting (5-11 from beyond the arc). Of course, he did miss two clutch free throws towards the end, and the Suns scored the last nine points in the final minute to secure a one-point win.

In the most recent game on Monday, Edwards finished the contest against the Kings, shooting 16-29 from the field and 5-11 from 3-point range en route to a 43-point evening. Unfortunately for the team, they lost in overtime in a game where they had a 10-point lead with under three minutes remaining in regulation. While Edwards made four of his six attempts in the extra frame, he missed his last three in the final 2:35 of the fourth quarter.

With those two blown losses, nobody is talking about Edwards bouncing back from a three-game stretch where he shot just 19-57 overall, including 2-23 from deep. Instead, all the talk has revolved around how Minnesota completely folded in two games that they absolutely should have won.

The hope is that two games are just a blip on the radar and become forgotten as the season goes along. In an ultra competitive Western Conference though, every win matters.

While Edwards didn’t necessarily help his team at the end of the last two fourth quarters, the 24-year-old has previously proven to perform in the clutch. Last season, he finished third in Clutch Player of the Year voting after finishing eighth in the inaugural voting in 2023-24.

As stated earlier though, the Wolves must find offense outside of Edwards.