Anthony Edwards hammers officiating in Timberwolves win over Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY — Anthony Edwards didn’t have fun after driving down the center of the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder protection and throwing down a ferocious, two-handed dunk in visitors, a essential play within the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 107-101 win Monday night time with first place within the Western Convention at stake.

Edwards as a substitute complained because the Thunder known as a timeout after his basket that pushed Minnesota’s result in 4 factors with 1:57 remaining. Edwards grabbed his left wrist instantly after touchdown, indicating that he thought he was fouled on the play. He stared at crew chief Mark Lindsay, standing a couple of toes away on the baseline, and threw his arms up in an animated shrug earlier than grabbing his left wrist once more.

Edwards stored his composure because the Timberwolves closed out the victory — keyed by a dominant defensive efficiency led by middle Rudy Gobert and ahead Jaden McDaniels — and made a degree to repeatedly criticize the officiating afterward. He declared throughout his on-court postgame interview on the Timberwolves’ TV broadcast: “I’ll take the superb, as a result of the refs didn’t give us no calls tonight,” and continued harping on the problem within the locker room.

“The refs was dangerous tonight. Yeah, they was horrible,” Edwards instructed ESPN with out prompting. “We was taking part in 8-on-5.”

Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 factors, capturing 10-of-20 from the ground and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Edwards thought he earned a number of extra journeys to the road.

“The cat bought their tongue tonight, so it is all good,” Edwards mentioned of the referees. “It is not honest, but it surely’s all good.”

Oklahoma Metropolis famous person guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 factors, seven rebounds and eight assists to maintain the Thunder within the recreation on an off night time for Rookie of the Yr candidate large man Chet Holmgren, who was held to 4 factors on 2-of-9 capturing. McDaniels, a small ahead, was the first defender on Holmgren, permitting Gobert to protect Josh Giddey or whoever was the Thunder’s worst 3-point shooter on flooring, sagging off his man to clog up the paint.

Gilgeous-Alexander was 15-of-16 from the road, capturing yet another free throw than all the Timberwolves mixed.

“It is type of powerful to protect him if that is the case, however we did a reasonably good job with simply mixing it up and simply making an attempt to fly round after that,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch mentioned. “That they had some guys that we actually shot the ball effectively from the 3-point line that we have been type of prepared to stay with, and so they harm us for a bit, however that dried up for them on the proper time for us.”

Edwards’ points with the officiating targeted on a number of no-calls on his drives, not the whistles obtained by Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages the third-most free throws tried within the league.

“Him attending to the road, he do this in his sleep,” Edwards mentioned. “Yeah, he is unstoppable. No one can guard him. He is good. He is tremendous good. However yeah, the refs was dangerous tonight.”

Timberwolves energy ahead Karl-Anthony Cities, who had 21 factors, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, in contrast the sport to a “championship battle” due to the physicality and depth. The 2 groups entered the sport tied for first place within the West, however they have been each coming off losses to last-place groups; the Timberwolves fell in San Antonio on Saturday, and the Thunder have been defeated in Detroit on Sunday afternoon.

It was a back-and-forth, tightly contested recreation for nearly your entire fourth quarter, placing the Timberwolves within the type of clutch scenario that had been problematic with out level guard Mike Conley, who sat out due to hamstring soreness. Minnesota entered the night time 1-3 with out Conley, together with shut losses to the lottery-bound Charlotte Hornets and Spurs the earlier week.

The Timberwolves took the lead for good when Edwards learn the protection off a pick-and-roll with Gobert and hit McDaniels for an open nook 3 with 2:32 remaining. Edwards drove for his emphatic dunk the following possession.

“He was poised,” Gobert mentioned of Edwards. “He did not get the calls however stored his poise, trusted his teammates and made the fitting play I believe 95% of the time, which is superb.”

The Timberwolves sealed the win with some smothering protection, highlighted by a journey by Oklahoma Metropolis’s Jalen Williams on the following possession when he drove down the lane however shuffled his toes below stress from three-time Defensive Participant of the Yr Gobert.

“That is what I stay for — successful performs,” mentioned Gobert, who had 12 factors on 6-of-6 capturing, 18 rebounds and a team-best plus-11 plus-minus. “That is why I am right here, and that is what I take a variety of pleasure doing on the ground on each ends. Clearly, when it is two minutes left in a recreation and it is a tight recreation or it is a shut recreation, every little thing goes up — focus, depth. That is what I like to do.”

It was a victory that epitomized the kind of group that the Timberwolves, who’ve the league’s top-ranked protection, attempt to be.

“After we play with that mindset, it is enjoyable, and we get to see what it appears to be like like to maximise our potential,” Gobert mentioned.

As gratifying because the win was, Edwards was exasperated by what he thought of unfavorable officiating. The 22-year-old, a first-time All-Star final season who’s averaging profession bests of 25.9 factors and 5.3 assists, mentioned he does not assume he will get the identical respect from referees as different stars within the league. He was prepared to simply accept a superb from the league workplace to vent some frustration after Monday’s win.

“I have never earned [referees’ respect] but, so it is OK,” Edwards mentioned. “However I believe tonight was dangerous from the refs. It was horrible. We did not get no calls as a group. I bought fouled a number of instances, and I am strolling as much as the ref telling him, ‘Hey, are you able to watch this?’ They only shaking their head. Yeah. After which quickly any individual come down from their group and get bumped, it is a foul.

“So I simply really feel prefer it wasn’t a good recreation tonight from the soar. And in order that’s why I am tremendous completely happy we gained the sport.”