Anthony Edwards' month of March was filled with viral plays
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Kalan Hooks, ESPN
Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards has always been that dude.
But something about March set off a fire inside Edwards to go on a league takeover. The 22-year-old has been on a roll since March 1, when he exited during halftime of the Timberwolves-Sacramento Kings game to be with his girlfriend, Jeanine Rebel, for the birth of their child.
Rebel posted their child on an Instagram story with a heart over the baby’s face with the caption, “The youngest in charge has arrived. Baby AJE.”
Since then, Edwards has averaged 24.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game as of March 31.
Here are some of Edwards’ viral plays that took over the association in March.
March 7: Did he hit his head?
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Anthony Edwards hits head on the backboard on game-saving block
Anthony Edwards soars to deny the Pacers’ game-tying layup attempt and secure the win for the Timberwolves.
After Edwards missed a free throw, the Pacers had a chance to knot the game at 113 or potentially win the game on a Hail Mary 3-pointer in transition. Tyrese Haliburton received the ball after Myles Turner snatched the rebound before advancing to Aaron Nesmith, who had a clear path to the basket.
Edwards exploded for the rejection, hitting his head on the rim to preserve the Timberwolves’ 113-111 victory.
The Pacers — and fans –were left in disbelief by what they just witnessed.
Edwards tied his season high with 44 points and six rebounds.
“I hit my head, I think on the rim. [My head] is hurting real bad. … I ain’t never jumped that high in my life,” Edwards said in a postgame interview.
March 18: Dunk of the Year?
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Anthony Edwards soars for massive poster dunk over Collins
Anthony Edwards flies to the rack and throws down an emphatic dunk over John Collins.
Edwards scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half in the 114-104 win over the Utah Jazz. But the buzz came from a fast-break play that was almost scary to watch — in a good way.
After coming up with a steal, Edwards made an outlet pass for Nickeil Alexander-Walker to sprint down the court. Receiving the ball back, Edwards took off midway in the paint, meeting John Collins at the rim. With his head almost at the rim, Edwards threw the ball in, his hand never making contact with the iron.
“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,” Edwards said about the dunk.
The Timberwolves bench jumped up in reaction to Edwards’ monstrous dunk, while Edwards held his hand — he had dislocated his left ring finger after making contact with Collins’ cheekbone. He popped the finger back into place, got it taped and later returned to the game.
Collins, who held his head after the poster, was evaluated for a concussion, which was later determined to be a head contusion.
Edwards said dunking on a player the way he dunked on Collins was a dream come true.
“It gives me chills, man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,” Edwards said.
March 27: The Pivot
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Anthony Edwards spins circles around Tosan Evbuomwan
Anthony Edwards puts the footwork on Tosan Evbuomwan before hitting the step-back shot.
Edwards can do it all. Though he is an explosive and crafty player, his fundamentals are top-tier. In the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons, he curled off a Rudy Gobert screen before receiving the ball and getting downhill into the paint area.
Tosan Evbuomwan was guarding Edwards, who relied on his footwork to create space to get a good look at the basket. After pivoting six times, he lost Evbuomwan in the air before knocking down a short midrange jump shot.
