MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards poured in 36 points on Mother’s Day, steering the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night and leveling their Western Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
“I just wanted to win for my mom,” Edwards said, dedicating the performance to Yvette Edwards, who died of cancer in 2015. His grandmother, Shirley Edwards, passed eight months later. Edwards wears No. 5 because both women died on the fifth day of their respective months.
The game pivoted 90 seconds into the second quarter when 7-foot-4 rookie Victor Wembanyama was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected for catching Naz Reid with a swinging right elbow while battling for a rebound. Wembanyama had registered 19 blocks over the first three games, but his absence opened the lane for Minnesota, which finished with 38 drives — 30 coming after the ejection, according to ESPN research.
San Antonio still surged ahead by eight early in the fourth behind rookie Dylan Harper’s 24 points off the bench, 20 from second-year guard Stephon Castle and timely jumpers from De’Aaron Fox. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said his team “let our mind slip” during that stretch, but Minnesota closed with a 34-25 final quarter.
Playing all 12 minutes of the fourth, Edwards scored 16 points in the period, including a finger roll over Luke Kornet with 2:24 left after grabbing a long offensive rebound. Rudy Gobert added a pair of late three-point plays, Ayo Dosunmu converted a key layup and Reid’s put-back virtually sealed it.
Edwards logged more than 40 minutes for the second straight game despite a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise suffered 15 days ago. Game 5 is Tuesday night in San Antonio.
Source: ESPN
