SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — One thunderous dunk provided a perfect snapshot of Anthony Edwards’ second-half dominance Monday night.
Edwards threw down a monster slam over John Collins of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after the play.
“I was thinking I was going to miss it because I wasn’t close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me,” said Edwards, who scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime.
The play immediately went viral on social media. Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said it might have been the best dunk he’s ever witnessed in person.
“He’s like a cat almost,” Conley said. “He just keeps going forward and lands on his feet. Stuff like that is what makes him who he is and why he can maneuver in the game how he does.”
Edwards said he grew up idolizing players like Vince Carter who were known for their dunking ability. Dunking the way they did has always been a goal for Edwards.
His slam on Monday night certainly put him in that category.
“It gives me chills , man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,” Edwards said.
Collins and Edwards were both injured on the play. Edwards dislocated his left ring finger after his hand collided with Collins’ cheekbone. He raced back to the locker room during a subsequent timeout, popped the finger back in place, got it taped up and returned to action.
Collins was ruled out for the entire fourth quarter while being evaluated for a possible concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.
Edwards’ dunk gave a short-handed Minnesota team an emotional boost during a critical stretch. The Timberwolves lost Naz Reid to a first-half head injury and were already playing without injured starters Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“It gives everybody energy,” Edwards said. “It makes everybody want to defend, want to get stops. It makes the game more exciting.”
Edwards also totaled eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks over 38 minutes. His relentless energy on both ends of the court put the Jazz on their heels throughout the second half.
“That’s who he is,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “He’s an All-Star. He’s a hell of a player.”
Edwards has had three consecutive 30-point games. He’s averaged 31.5 points in back-to-back wins over Utah on 58% shooting from the field.
“He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play. Can sometimes make it out of nothing. But now he’s like way more polished with what he’s doing. He’s a little more composed, not rushing it as much.”
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