Wolves' D'Angelo Russell: Anthony Edwards has 'solidified himself'

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves to a victory over Jimmy Butler and the Heat on Wednesday, putting up 33 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in a game-high 43 minutes. Edwards was a plus-19 in the 12-point win, and his performance earned rave reviews from a pair of his teammates with All-Star appearances on their résumés, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes.

“I think we’re watching him grow in front of us, just all around,” said D’Angelo Russell, adding that Edwards “got us over the hump” in the game against Miami.

“You need superstars to win in this league now,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of the second-year wing. “We need someone like him. We always talk about the big three. Well, he’s solidified himself. It’s amazing to see him getting better and better every game and figuring it out more and more.”

Edwards is building off his strong second half as a rookie and has boosted his numbers across the board so far this season, further solidifying his place as a long-term cornerstone in Minnesota. In 18 games (35.9 MPG), he has put up 22.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists on .434/.360/.746 shooting.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

• How did Alex Rodriguez go from MLB All-Star to co-owner of the Timberwolves? In an in-depth story for The Athletic, Krawczynski explores A-Rod’s entry into the business world and how he teamed up with Marc Lore, his partner in the purchase of the Wolves.
• Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault returned to the sidelines for Wednesday’s contest against Utah after missing the team’s three-game road trip to be there for the birth of his first child, via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City was 0-3 in Daigneault’s absence.
• Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington was ejected from Wednesday’s game in Sacramento for throwing his face guard and hitting an official’s foot with it. As Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian relays, head coach Chauncey Billups and star guard Damian Lillard said after the game that it was an accident. “Roco always takes his mask off and tosses it to the side,” Lillard said. “This time he just tossed it, and it literally bounced into the referee.” It remains to be seen whether Covington will be fined by the NBA for the incident.