Anthony Edwards was the hero as the Minnesota Timberwolves finished off the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, winning 122-116 on Sunday and advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. Meanwhile, back east, the Milwaukee Bucks are eyeing elimination as they trail the Indiana Pacers 3-1. Anthony Edwards can’t wait to “talk trash” with his hero Kevin Durant after the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns and punched their ticket to the Western Conference semifinals.
Ant-Man’s top scorer led the Timberwolves with 40 points in a 122-116 victory Sunday night, snapping a 4-0 first-round rout in the NBA playoffs.
A Phoenix team built around the superstar talents of Devin Booker and Durant held a fourth-quarter lead at home, but Edwards put on a show to steal the headlines, including a monster dunk over Durant to put the Timberwolves ahead in the final two minutes. Booker scored a career-high 49 points in the playoffs — while Durant also added 33 in vain. Meanwhile, Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half — though he wanted to redirect the praise to teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 28 points and 10 rebounds.
The 22-year-old told TNT Sports: “The most satisfying moment of the night for me was KAT. A lot of people think the reason for the win was me, but without KAT in that second half, we wouldn’t have come close to beating KAT, he played his part tonight.
He added of former NBA champion Durant, with whom he will play for Team USA in the Olympics this summer: “Man, I felt great. I have the utmost respect for KD. I watched all his games since I was five years old.
“I’m excited to play with him this summer – talk some trash and tell him I sent him home!” Reflecting on Edwards’ showing in the series, TNT Sports analyst and Suns legend Charles Barkley said, “He gets that team going. They know he’s ‘the guy.’ Any team that’s successful has to have a ‘guy’ that gets the troops going.
“He makes all these basketball plays, but his mentality, that’s what makes him special. It’s nice to watch.
“When you have a cat, you have a chance, because everyone will follow that cat. That’s a grown man.”
The Timberwolves will now play either the 2nd seed and reigning champion Denver Nuggets, or the 7th seed and the Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James in the next round.
The Nuggets lead the series 3-1.
Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of an early trip to the Indiana Pacers. Still without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the previous two losses due to injury, the Bucks also added Damian Lillard to the treatment chart for Game 4.
To make matters worse, the third starter, Bobby Portis, was ejected early during Sunday night’s loss after a heated exchange with Andrew Nembhardt. The Pacers ended up winning 126-113, with Myles Turner leading the way with 29 points.
Indiana can clinch a spot in the East’s Final Four, where they will play either the New York Knicks or the Philadelphia 76ers, with another win in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
The Knicks defeated the 76ers after taking a 3-1 lead in their series.
The Los Angeles Clippers held off an exciting late fight by the Dallas Mavericks to tie the game at 2-2.