Anthony Edwards energizes the Timberwolves with a 90-point performance over back-to-back games

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - With the Minnesota Timberwolves missing two key contributors and searching for a mid-winter spark, Anthony Edwards played up to his NBA superstar status.

Two games. Two days. 90 points. Two wins.

"I think he knows what we need from him now," head coach Chris Finch said, lauding Edwards for his consistent aggression in driving to the basket during the 127-114 victory over Houston on Thursday.

"He’s making quick decisions. When he has a chance to race, he races. When he has a chance to shoot, he shoots. When he comes and catches the ball behind the play, he's playing off the catch more, and that's really resulting in a lot of trips to the free-throw line," Finch said. “That's exactly the way we need him to play. He's been special these last couple of games, absolutely special."

Edwards hit two significant milestones on Thursday. He posted his 14th career 40-point game, passing Karl-Anthony Towns for the most in Timberwolves history, and at age 23 became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 made 3-pointers.

His two-game shooting total against Chicago and Houston: 24 for 53 from the floor, 11 for 26 from deep and 31 for 33 from the free-throw line.

"It feels incredible, man, because of all the criticism I received coming into the league about my jumper," said Edwards, who is shooting a career-best 42.1% from 3-point range. "Now I love to see what the critics say about my jumper."

For the Timberwolves to fulfill their potential, they also need Edwards to be a transcendent presence beyond simply the execution of the offense and serve as the true heartbeat of the team. He’s been at his energy-exuding best this week, with no more vivid example than him standing up to Rockets instigator Dillon Brooks in a feisty game without losing his cool.

"Once me and Dillon Brooks got into it, the fatigue went out the way. At that point, you can't use that excuse because somebody tries you, you try them back," Edwards said. "At that point, it's time to hoop. I couldn't use fatigue as a bailout in that moment. I had to show up."

The preseason trade that sent cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns to New York for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo thrust Edwards into a greater leadership role. Towns was the glue of the locker room, the warm personality who kept the mood light and the spirits up, and now Edwards unquestionably has the loudest voice both literally and symbolically.

"As a team, we have a view of ourselves as being held to a higher standard and that we should be playing at a higher level and we just haven't been," point guard Mike Conley said. "He's done a really good job of not letting those frustrations dictate the way he comes and approaches every game."

Coming off their breakthrough 2023-24 season that ended in the Western Conference finals, the Timberwolves have, so far, had a much bumpier ride in 2024-25 as they’ve adjusted to the new lineup, recent injuries to Randle and DiVincenzo and their heightened profile across the league that undoubtedly prompts stronger competition from opponents.

Edwards himself has had his share of growing pains, handling the challenges of frequent double-teams and foul calls from the officials he has adamantly argued have been unfairly missing in certain moments. Several times, he has used a postgame interview session to profanely vent about it, too, adding to his season total of $285,000 worth of fines from the NBA.

The Timberwolves collectively have also been a repeat offender in sluggish starts against short-handed or bottom-dwelling teams, an issue of focus and maturity that starts and ends with the three-time All-Star. Finch has not been shy about calling out the uneven efforts, but over the last two nights he had little to criticize.

Not only did Edwards deliver on the second half of a back-to-back set of games that can be difficult for any player to do, he has helped inject some momentum into the team at an ideal time. While many of their Western Conference competitors enhanced their lineups before the trade deadline, the Wolves stood pat with the belief that a healthy Randle and DiVincenzo will be a significant boost after the All-Star break.

The Timberwolves, who have a 21-14 record against the West that ought to serve them well for playoff positioning, are entering a tough stretch of their schedule. After hosting Portland on Saturday night, their next seven games include three against league-leading Oklahoma City, one at East-leading Cleveland and three more against teams in the top five of either conference.

"The plan is always to deliver, but if it don't go my way, then I'll be OK. I don't really stress about it,” Edwards said. “However it goes, it goes. I know I put the work in."