LOS ANGELES – Anthony Edwards scored 38 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves ended the last unbeaten run in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Monday, beating the Boston Celtics 114-109.
“I let my team down in the last quarter by missing two shots; I said to myself I’ve got to make up for it by taking over in overtime,” said Edwards, whose points tally included eight after regulation time at Target Centre.
The 22-year-old also had nine rebounds and seven assists for the Timberwolves, who outscored the Celtics 13-8 in overtime.
Minnesota led 106-105 in overtime, before Edwards extended the advantage to 112-105 by making jump shots on three consecutive possessions.
Minnesota coach Chris Finch said of his All-Star guard: “He loves the moment. We know we still got to get better at closing out that game in regulation, with some of our decision-making and ball movement and using the defence against them a little bit.
“But guys who like the moment are often times few and far between. We’re lucky we have one on our team.”
Jaden McDaniels gave Edwards offensive support with 20 points, including a jump shot with 16 seconds remaining that effectively sealed victory for Minnesota.
“We’re the dynamic duo. I trust him. I give him the ball whenever he wants; he’s the reason we won tonight,” Edwards quipped.
The Timberwolves won despite missing 12 of their 25 free-throw attempts and committing 23 turnovers.
Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 32 points for the Celtics, who received 26 points from Jaylen Brown and 20 from Kristaps Porzingis.
Boston had entered the match averaging an NBA-best 126.4 points per game and had won their first five encounters of the season.
Said Boston coach Joe Mazzulla: “I thought we competed at a high level. I thought their defensive toughness outmatched our offensive toughness at times. Their overall pressure bothered us on the offensive end. So, that’s a good learning point for us.”
Elsewhere on Monday, new Los Angeles Clippers recruit James Harden finished with 17 points and six assists but could not prevent his team falling to a 111-97 road defeat by the New York Knicks.
The 34-year-old former NBA Most Valuable Player was one of five Clippers players in double figures, but Tyronn Lue’s star-studded line-up were outgunned by the Knicks’ R.J. Barrett and Julius Randle, who combined for 53 points.
Clippers coach Lue liked what he saw from Harden despite the defeat.
“I thought James was really good. It’s going to take him a little time to get in game shape, we understand that. But his presence on the floor was definitely felt,” Lue said.
New York ran away with the game in a one-sided fourth quarter, outscoring the Clippers 35-21 for a win that sees them improve to 3-4 in the Eastern Conference.
In Miami, LeBron James scored 30 points against his old team, but the Los Angeles Lakers were edged out 108-107 by the 2022 NBA Finals runners-up.
A James lay-up and a free throw got the Lakers to within one point with 2min 39sec remaining in the fourth quarter.
But Miami’s defence kept the Lakers scoreless for the remainder of the contest and Cam Reddish missed a potential game-winning jump shot with four seconds remaining as the Heat held on for the victory.
In Philadelphia, reigning MVP Joel Embiid erupted for 48 points as the Sixers cruised to a 146-128 win over the Washington Wizards, who are bottom of the Eastern Conference with just one win in six games.
Embiid was in imperious form for the Sixers, making 17-of-25 from the field while draining a perfect 14 out of 14 from the free throw line. The Sixers improved to 5-1.
Meanwhile, the 2025 NBA All-Star game will be held at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Centre in San Francisco, the league announced on Monday.
The 74th edition of the mid-season showpiece will be held on Feb 16, 2025, NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed in a statement. AFP, REUTERS
