Anthony Edwards is the future, and the evolution was televised Saturday night.
The Nuggets lost for only the second time in their past 15 home playoff games, dropping the opener 106-99 in the Western Conference semifinals. As fans shrugged toward the exits at Ball Arena, one thing was clear: The Minnesota Timberwolves are way better than the whiny Lakers.
First, the obvious. The Nuggets stand zero chance of advancing if Jamal Murray, bothered by a sore left calf, cannot regain his explosiveness and scoring. And that problem is amplified by who the Nuggets are facing.
Viewed through the wide lens, the Timberwolves won because the Nuggets defense offered less resistance than a water slide in the second half. Minnesota made 27 of 38 shots, a stunning 71% from the field. Chart warmups and it is hard to find stretches with such precision. Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns, Naz Reid and Mike Conley finished in double figures.
“It will be a quick exit if we allow four guys to get off like that,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone admitted. “We have to do a much better job. I don’t think we had what we needed, and I will leave it at that.”
It is easy to sell the idea that it was a defensive lapse — a team taking its heavy foot off the pedal. The more sobering thought for the Nuggets can be summarized in two words and a hyphen: Ant-Man.
He has a few moves. Has springs in his legs. And Prestone in his veins. The Nuggets squandered homecourt advantage in this series when Edwards drained a 14-foot jumper with 1:36 remaining, stretching Minnesota’s lead to 102-91. There was no counterpunch on this night.
Edwards is the type of player who makes adjectives flee in fear. There is little elasticity left when describing his game. He scored a playoff career-high 43 points, his second straight 40-point night in the postseason.
Before a raucous sellout crowd, Edwards looked like a prime Kobe Bryant. A young Michael Jordan. The Nuggets have to beat this dude four times? This is going to be a problem.
Edwards goes by the nickname Ant-Man, but he put on a show that made everyone else look small. After their latest decaffeinated start, the Nuggets held the Timberwolves to 22 points over the final 25 minutes of the first half. It would suggest a sizable margin. Instead, Denver led 44-40. Edwards refused to let the Nuggets run away and hide. He scored 25 first-half points on 10-of-17 shooting.
“I just felt good. That was the main thing. And my teammates found me on some layups,” Edwards said. “I have never gotten that many easy buckets.”
There was one point when cinema came to life as he crossed over Aaron Gordon and then drilled a fadeaway jumper to shove Minnesota ahead 84-81. Wasn’t that a scene in the “Hustle” movie on Netflix? Before Saturday, mentioning Edwards in the same breath as legends rested with his scoring. He makes shots from all distances and his dunks are breathtaking. I am pretty sure Edwards could make buttering toast look exciting.
What deepened the comparison in Game 1 was his defense. Jordan and Bryant made everything personal on both ends of the court. So, it was interesting to see Edwards open the game guarding Murray. This was not expected or normal. But it shows how much his skillset has broadened beyond his jumper.
Murray went scoreless in the first half. Edwards did not contest every shot, but he was part of shackling the Nuggets’ second-best scorer. Murray finished with 17 points, and a minus-22 rating when he was on the floor.
Edwards’ respect for Murray is real. He refers to him as the NBA’s best closer. The issue with that role? There has to be a game to finish. Edwards was more than happy to leave tread marks on the Nuggets’ chest in the final quarter. He delivered 12 points after getting cardio in the third.
“Going against the best player in the world (in Nikola Jokic). Going against the best team in the world. It is always fun,” Edwards said. “It’s not just about me personally. It’s about everyone. We trust each other. I trust my teammates.”
There is nothing Edwards cannot do. Jokic admitted as much, calling him a “special player.”
It was only one game. But it is frightening because Edwards looks like him.
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