Anthony Edwards puts a stamp on a historic January stretch

Through 16 games in January, Edwards averaged 30.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists while making 4.3 threes per game at 43.9% shooting. He also led all Timberwolves in net rating with plus-6.3. 

According to OptaSTATS, Edwards tallied numbers never seen through a month of games.

As part of their five-game winning streak, the Timberwolves have beaten rivals such as the Nuggets, Suns and Mavericks, teams they could potentially run into during the playoffs. 

After Thursday's win, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch couldn't stop raving about Edwards' leadership and defensive impact.

"I thought he was outstanding,” Finch said of Edwards, via TwinCities.com. "His approach, when he came out after his first shift ... I told him, 'That’s the way to set the tone of what we want out there.' Both ends of the right floor … making the right play … didn't force anything, got all his teammates involved, played defense."

Unlike teams such as the Warriors and Suns, who got off to hot starts only to descend in the standings, the Timberwolves are peaking at the right time. Last season, Finch's team finished with the No. 3 seed in the West and the No. 1 defense in the league. They rode those strengths to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Mavericks. 

Perhaps the January stretch will propel the Timberwolves back into the top of the West, especially if Edwards continues his hot stretch.