Anthony Edwards made his sixth overall and fourth consecutive Christmas game appearance as the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Denver Nuggets 142-138 in overtime.
Edwards had a remarkable performance in an exciting game as he finished with 44 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Unfortunately, his efforts weren’t enough and Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic had a historic game finishing with 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists.
Despite the loss, Edwards performance was one of the best showings on Christmas. It was the sixth time this season that Edwards has scored 40 points or more and it matched his season-high that he previously set on December 2nd.
Anthony Edwards Predicted How Christmas Game Would Go
In an interview with Shams Charania of ESPN, Edwards made a bold prediction about the game against Denver.“It’s gonna be a night,” Edwards said. “I’m gonna have 30 (points), for sure. I might have 40. But it’s gonna be a night.”
Edwards was spot on with his prediction. That game was arguably the most exciting match up of the day. With the game on the line, Minnesota needed a basket to force the game to overtime and you know who they gave the ball to.
With 3.6 seconds left, Jaden McDaniels inbounded the ball to Edwards and he hit a turnaround three-point shot to send the game to overtime. He became the sixth player with 40 plus points, five plus rebounds, and five plus three-pointers made in a Christmas game. The three-time All-Star was ejected in overtime for appearing to point at three referees.
If he did not get ejected, who knows what the outcome of the game could have been. Edwards did not disappoint and he is a player who does not shy away from the big stage.
Anthony Edwards, Face of the Franchise
GettyAnthony Edwards is averaging 29.4 points per game through 24 games this season.
Edwards is an elite NBA player and has developed into one of the top players in the game. The last two seasons, Minnesota appeared in the Western Conference Finals. Despite falling short the past two seasons, Minnesota has established themselves as one of the premier teams in the league.
And Anthony Edwards has played a significant role in turning Minnesota into a playoff-contender. Through 31 games, Minnesota is a top-five team in the west and is looking to make another playoff appearance for the fifth consecutive year.
Edwards has appeared in 24 games this season and is averaging 29.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He is top ten in the league in scoring and is trending to average a career-high in that category.
There’s a reason why Minnesota took Edwards with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Each year he has progressed and has shown that he can consistently play this game at a high level. Before the season, ESPN ranked Edwards as the sixth best player in the NBA.
The league is in good hands with young stars like Edwards. If he continues to progress year after year, he has the ability to become the face of the league and win an MVP award. The sky’s the limit for Edwards.
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