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When Anthony Edwards took the court in Game 1 for his 28th career Playoff game, he was joined by two other members of an exclusive club – Luka Dončić and LeBron James.

That trio, along with Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady and Oscar Robertson, are the only players in NBA history to average 27+ pts, 6+ reb and 5+ ast through their first 27 Playoff games

His ability to impact all aspects of the game was on display for Edwards in Game 1 and will be key again in tonight’s Game 2 (10 ET, TNT) as the Wolves seek a 2-0 lead on the road

It’s all part of Edwards’ evolution as an all-around player. Already a force attacking the basket, Edwards turned himself into an elite 3-point shooter this season, leading the NBA with 320 3s on a career-best 39.5%.

But Game 1 wasn’t just about buckets. Ant won it with his playmaking as he matched his Playoff career-high with nine dimes and only one turnover to lead the Wolves past the Lakers

How Important Is Ant’s Playmaking? This season, the Wolves went 26-12 when he had 5+ ast, 18-7 with 6+ ast, 12-3 with 7+ ast and a perfect 6-0 with 8+ ast. That improved to 7-0 on Monday.

“The best version of Ant,” Coach Chris Finch said, “is when he’s flirting with a triple double.”

Minnesota shot 21-of-42 from 3 in Game 1. A key reason why? They generated 27 wide-open 3s (closest defender 6+ feet away) and sank 19 of them (70.4%)

Jaden McDaniels (25 pts, 11-13 FG, 3-3 3P in Game 1) was the recipient of four assists from Edwards as he showed up big as a major swing factor for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota is now 5-0 this season when McDaniels scored 25+ pts

“He had ultra-confidence,” Edwards said after the game. “As long as he trusts himself, we all trust him.”





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Luka (37 pts, 8 reb) and LeBron (19 pts, 3 blk, 2 stl) lost their first Playoff game as a duo. But their teams have a winning record in bounce-back games like they face tonight.

LeBron (12-11) and Luka (4-3) are 16-14 in their career after falling in the first game of a Playoff series during their careers

As the higher seed, the Lakers last lost the first two games of a series at home in 2011, facing the eventual champion Mavericks

The Lakers will try to find their defensive form in Game 2, which got them to the 3 seed in the West.

L.A. was a league-best 18-3 from Jan. 21 to March 6, owning a 106.6 defensive rating (1st) and holding opponents to 106 ppg (1st) on 42.1 FG% (1st) and 31.4 3P% (1st)

This stretch included a 111-102 win over Minnesota, as LeBron (33 pts, 17 reb) and Luka (21 pts, 13 reb) combined for 54 points

Dan33185 wrote:If Jaden McDaniels is giving you anything over his average PPG, that's a huge bonus, and if it's over 20, they are hard to beat.

bisme37 wrote:Game 2 preview from NBA.com:

Minnesota shot 21-of-42 from 3 in Game 1. A key reason why? They generated 27 wide-open 3s (closest defender 6+ feet away) and sank 19 of them (70.4%)

bb22 wrote:We saw Minny (particularly McDaniels and Reid) light it up consistently against Denver last year. Could very well continue.

Klomp wrote:

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CIN-C-STAR wrote:A little worried about ANT’s health.
When he left game 1 the broadcast said it was due to cramping, but we all know teams aren’t honest about injuries this time of year.
Looked to me like when he returned to the bench he was talking to a teammate about what was going on and kinda gestured to his groin area. If he has a groin pull that ain’t healing up any time soon and will definitely limit him on both sides.
That’s just speculation on my part though. Anyone else notice that?

CIN-C-STAR wrote:A little worried about ANT’s health.
When he left game 1 the broadcast said it was due to cramping, but we all know teams aren’t honest about injuries this time of year.
Looked to me like when he returned to the bench he was talking to a teammate about what was going on and kinda gestured to his groin area. If he has a groin pull that ain’t healing up any time soon and will definitely limit him on both sides.
That’s just speculation on my part though. Anyone else notice that?

dWadeOwnzYou wrote:

CIN-C-STAR wrote:A little worried about ANT’s health.
When he left game 1 the broadcast said it was due to cramping, but we all know teams aren’t honest about injuries this time of year.
Looked to me like when he returned to the bench he was talking to a teammate about what was going on and kinda gestured to his groin area. If he has a groin pull that ain’t healing up any time soon and will definitely limit him on both sides.
That’s just speculation on my part though. Anyone else notice that?

If you look at the replay when he went down, he grabbed his foot. So I suspect his left foott was cramping. If had it been his groin, he would've grabbed that similar to when Anthony Davis grabbed his groin.

Mamba Mentality wrote:I've had a chance to sit back and think about this series a bit more rationally, and I won't lie my confidence has slightly wavered. There's one thing to lose in a competitive manner, and whole other thing to get embarrassed on your home floor to the point where you start questioning the teams effort. On top of that you have Lebron saying that they needed game 1 to feel out the physicality, and JJ talking about the teams lack of intensity... Like come on man, those explanations don't make any sense for veterans that have lived through those moments and know the importance winning game 1 and setting the tone. You don't just spot a team a game like that, it's inexcusable.