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The Minnesota Timberwolves came into Game 1 with high expectations for themselves. After taking down the Denver Nuggets in the most-watched second-round playoff game in history, confidence is high in the Minnesota locker room about their chances to make an NBA Final.
They knew the Dallas Mavericks would be anything but an easy game, so Anthony Edwards and company prepared for war against the Mavs. They did everything they could to wrestle Game 1 away from them, but the Mavs managed to outlast the Wolves in a tight contest where no team had a definite advantage over the other.
One of the biggest storylines in Game 1 was Edwards’ subpar play. He’s always been a reliable rock for Minnesota, so to see him struggle against Jason Kdid’s defensive game plan was an unfamiliar sight for the team and their fans.
Anthony Edwards shares brutal assessment of Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 1 loss to Dallas
Anthony Edwards had an off night where his shots weren’t just falling. He walked out of the American Airlines Center with only 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting. While he did make up for it with 11 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals, it wasn’t enough to power the Wolves past the Mavericks.
The media immediately hounded him with questions to clarify why the Wolves fell short in the first round of their seven-game series. According to Basketball Forever’s Nick Jungfer, it seems like Ant-Man can’t pinpoint where he or the rest of the roster fell short:
“I don’t know, I think we just came out flat today,” Edwards said. “We found our energy then we went back to being flat. I think it was just on us. Everything was on us today. I didn’t get downhill as much. Just stuff like that, we were probably just a little tired probably.”
Jaden McDaniels picked up the slack for Edwards, finishing the game with 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert pitched in with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
While the explanation is plausible, it would be difficult for fans to swallow down such an excuse. The Mavericks also went through multiple tough series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers.
However, fans can be assured that Edwards will bounce back in Game 2. He’s always held himself to a high standard and will be hungry to right his mistakes in Game 1.
More must-reads:
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