Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant deliver in battle of game’s two young stars
Anthony Edwards #AnthonyEdwards
The current Rookie of the Year battled, perhaps, the future one Wednesday at Target Center, and it was a showdown for the ages.
Anthony Edwards continued to prove himself worthy of not only this year’s award, but also being the face of the Timberwolves’ future. He’s been special for a long time now, and only built upon it Wednesday.
Edwards made eight 3-pointers — a Timberwolves rookie record — on just nine attempts and shot 17 for 22 from the field overall en route to 42 points, matching his season high. Edwards also became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 150 triples for his career.
He also had seven assists and six rebounds.
It was spectacular.
Unfortunately for Edwards, Ja Morant and Memphis were better.
The Grizzlies point guard recently deemed himself to be a top-5 point guard in the NBA, and he looked the part Wednesday. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft finished with 37 points and 10 assists to power Memphis to a 139-135 victory.
As great as Edwards was, it wasn’t enough to overcome Minnesota’s defensive ineptitude. Memphis shot 54 percent from the field and 49 percent from deep. The Grizzlies got whatever they wanted from the floor throughout the evening. It largely centered on the 21-year-old Morant, who prodded his way into the lane at will, either getting himself easy looks or kicking out to teammates for open threes.
Defense continues to be Minnesota’s Achilles’ heel. It’s why it’s blown late leads against Sacramento and New Orleans, and it’s why it lost Wednesday. Defense is what may hold this team back from reaching its ultimate potential in the future if that end of the floor isn’t ironed out.
Edwards nearly overcame that Wednesday with the best performance of his young career, but he didn’t receive enough help. Karl-Anthony Towns battled foul trouble and played likely his worst game of the season, finishing with 22 points, four rebounds and four turnovers. D’Angelo Russell had 22 points and 14 assists but tallied five turnovers of his own.