The All-Star break is over, and now it's time for a postseason push. As for the Minnesota Timberwolves, sitting in first place in the Western Conference, the goal is to fend off the various teams vying for the top spot.
Currently, Minnesota ranks first in the West, just ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 39-17 record. Lurking behind the top two squads are the veteran-laden Los Angeles Clippers and the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.
Last night, the Timberwolves had the chance to reach to 40-win plateau in February for the first time since 2004. Unfortunately, the Milwaukee Bucks were too much to handle, defeating the Wolves by a score of 112-107.
Despite the loss, Minnesota's All-Star duo combined for 50 points, 23 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 threes. One-half of the star pairing, Anthony Edwards, proved to be extremely heroic down the stretch.
Down 17 points to begin the final period, the Wolves clawed back to cut the deficit to six points with less than five minutes to go. Milwaukee's lead remained relatively safe over the next three minutes before a barrage of Edwards' 3-pointers sliced the Bucks' lead to just three points with 30 seconds remaining.
A Damian Lillard step-back jumper essentially iced the game, but without Edwards' heroics, the game would've likely been over far sooner. Fittingly enough, the star guard's teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, praised Edwards earlier in the day during an appearance on ESPN's First Take.
"He hates when I say it, but he's going to be the face of the NBA."
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 23, 2024
Karl-Anthony Towns shared what he sees in Anthony Edwards 👏 pic.twitter.com/4012EoTdJn
In the clip, Towns went on to describe Edwards as, "one of the top players in the NBA." He later stated that Edwards' "charisma and personality" provide a boost to the locker room.
Towns' opinions of Edwards as a player and a person shine a light on what he's become in just four seasons in the NBA. But perhaps most importantly, Towns' depiction of Edwards as "the face of NBA sooner than later" is a testament to Edwards' quick ascension to the upper echelon of the league.
Not the first person to praise Edwards, NBA superstar Kevin Durant recently proclaimed the 2x All-Star guard as a "team builder," grouping Edwards with the San Antonio Spurs' rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama as two of the best players in the league 10 years down the road.
Between Towns' and Durant's praises, each star alluded to Edwards' personality as the reason he'll become one of the league's best. While his stats speak for themselves, his larger-than-life personality has led to numerous past and present players growing increasingly fond of the 22-year-old star.