On a night filled with shocking scores and offensive explosions, the Minnesota Timberwolves managed to sneak past the Oklahoma City Thunder in a thrilling 131-128 overtime victory.
The hero of the night? Anthony Edwards. Kind of.
Despite struggling offensively, Edwards delivered the game-sealing block on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 13.7 seconds left in overtime. To cap it off, he locked down SGA on a final possession, preventing the Thunder from forcing a second OT and handing OKC their 11th loss of the season. But he also wasn't on the court for most of Minnesota's comeback in the first place.
Clutch time concerns for Edwards
While his defensive heroics saved the game, Edwards had a rough night offensively, finishing with 17 points on 5-15 shooting (1-6 from three). His struggles in crunch time continued, including an air-balled three-pointer that led to a crucial Naz Reid offensive rebound, giving Minnesota free throws to secure the lead.
Edwards’ clutch stats this season have been alarming:
- The Timberwolves lead the league with 20 clutch losses.
- Edwards is shooting just 20.5% from the field and 17.2% from three in those situations.
- His clutch-time plus/minus is a dismal minus-83.
The definition of clutch time includes the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points — a stretch where Edwards has struggled to take over.
Edwards' case as the NBA’s "next face of the league" wasn’t helped last night when he sat out the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and was subbed out again with 3:41 remaining. With Minnesota down 16 points, it was rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. who spearheaded a furious comeback off the bench, helping to force overtime. Dillingham ended his night with 12 points, while Shannon Jr. had 17 and 10 rebounds.
It’s no secret the Timberwolves haven’t been at full strength this season, battling injuries and chemistry issues. But with Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Rudy Gobert expected to return in the coming weeks, Minnesota has a chance to regain momentum and climb the standings — just in time for the postseason.