Edwards scores 34; Wolves beat Spurs 134-122
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, and reserve guard Jaylen Nowell added 23 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 134-122 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points for Minnesota, which bounced back after a 115-106 loss to San Antonio at home Monday. Jalen McDaniels scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who hit a season-high 20 3-pointers.
''I think we got to take a couple punches in the face to realize that we need to come out like that all the time,'' Edwards said. ''That punch that we took versus San Antonio the first game kind of woke us up.''
Keldon Johnson had a team-high 27 points for the Spurs, who were without guards Devin Vassell and Josh Primo due to injuries. Doug McDermott added 19.
''Without those two guys, things look a little different,'' said Josh Richardson, who started for Vassell. ''But it's next man up and I'm proud of how everybody competed. The Timberwolves are a tough matchup for any team, especially coming in here short is not easy.''
After scoring just nine points Monday, Edwards promised better energy and brought it from the beginning by scoring 16 points with five 3s.
''Ant was special tonight,'' Towns said. ''Went out there and he was him, hit a lot of shots and it translated to us being home, giving the fans that energy, giving us that energy and that comfort.''
Minnesota entered the game among the league's poorest shooting teams from beyond the arc, hitting just 28.7% for the season. The Wolves averaged 9.8 made 3s a game and set a franchise record for a quarter with 10 makes in the first quarter Wednesday
They finished 20 of 34 (58.8%) from 3.
Minnesota led by as many as 17, but San Antonio made another third-quarter push, as it did in Monday's win. The Spurs scored 41 points in the quarter, led by Johnson's 13, and had closed within 80-75 at one point.
''We weren't solid and sharp in the first half and they took advantage of it,'' San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. ''We got back in it in the third quarter. That tells me a lot about the team. I think everybody tried to play their role and I think did.''
But this time, the Wolves didn't relent. Nowell sparked Minnesota and had the home crowd chanting his name.
''I never care about who's guarding me,'' Nowell said. ''I know that when I can get to my spots, and I could just raise up, it's just a matter of if I can make it or miss it.''
TROUBLESOME THREES
It wasn't just the 3-pointers that had vexed the Wolves this season.
They entered play being outscored by 46 points in the third this season, an average of 11.5 points per game, both league-worst totals. San Antonio outscored them 36-14 in the third Monday and followed with a 41-34 third quarter Wednesday.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Vassell (left knee soreness) and Primo (left glute spasms) each missed their first game with their respective injuries. Josh Richardson started in place of Vassell and scored 11 points with 10 assists. ... San Antonio had 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Minnesota. ... The Spurs biggest lead was one point early in the first.
Timberwolves: Forward Kyle Anderson missed his third straight game with back spasms. Guard Austin Rivers missed his second game with right hip soreness. . The 10 3-pointers in the first tied the most in a quarter by any team over the last two seasons. . Minnesota had a season-high 37 assists. ... Rudy Gobert had 10 points and nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Return home against Chicago Bulls Friday.
Timberwolves: Host Los Angeles Lakers Friday.
---
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jakob Poeltl vs. Karl-Anthony Towns (Rudy Gobert gains possession) | ||
| 11:40 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point step back jump shot | 0-3 |
| 11:21 |  | Jakob Poeltl misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 11:18 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 0-6 |
| 10:57 | | Keldon Johnson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:54 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | Rudy Gobert offensive foul (Tre Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 10:48 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:33 | | Tre Jones misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:31 | | Jakob Poeltl offensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | +2 | Jakob Poeltl makes two point putback layup | 2-6 |
| 10:14 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive foul (Tre Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 10:14 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:01 | | +3 | Jeremy Sochan makes three point jump shot (Josh Richardson assists) | 5-6 |
| 9:51 | | Tre Jones personal foul (D'Angelo Russell draws the foul) | ||
| 9:46 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:43 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 9:41 | | +2 | Jeremy Sochan makes two point layup (Tre Jones assists) | 7-6 |
| 9:19 | | +3 | Jaden McDaniels makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 7-9 |
| 9:07 | | +3 | Jeremy Sochan makes three point jump shot (Keldon Johnson assists) | 10-9 |
| 8:51 | | Josh Richardson personal foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 8:47 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 10-12 |
| 8:37 | | D'Angelo Russell shooting foul (Tre Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 8:37 | | +1 | Tre Jones makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 11-12 |
| 8:37 | | +1 | Tre Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 12-12 |
| 8:21 | | D'Angelo Russell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:21 | | Spurs defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Josh Richardson misses two point reverse layup | ||
| 8:08 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point alley-oop dunk (Anthony Edwards assists) | 12-14 |
| 7:52 | | Jakob Poeltl turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:43 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot | 12-17 |
| 7:30 | | +2 | Tre Jones makes two point floating jump shot | 14-17 |
| 7:14 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Josh Richardson defensive rebound | ||
| 6:58 | | Keldon Johnson misses two point step back jump shot | ||
| 6:57 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 6:57 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:54 | | +2 | Keldon Johnson makes two point jump shot (Jeremy Sochan assists) | 16-17 |
| 6:41 | | Keldon Johnson personal foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 6:38 | | Jakob Poeltl shooting foul (D'Angelo Russell draws the foul) | ||
| 6:38 | | D'Angelo Russell misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:38 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 6:38 | | D'Angelo Russell misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:38 | | Spurs defensive rebound | ||
| 6:21 | | Keldon Johnson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:19 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 6:19 | | Jeremy Sochan personal foul (Loose ball) (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 6:19 | | Rudy Gobert misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:19 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 6:19 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-18 |
| 6:08 | | Jeremy Sochan misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:04 | | Romeo Langford offensive rebound | ||
| 6:04 | | +2 | Romeo Langford makes two point putback layup | 18-18 |
| 5:53 | | +3 | Jaden McDaniels makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 18-21 |
| 5:32 | | Jeremy Sochan misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:28 | | Jaden McDaniels defensive rebound | ||
| 5:18 | | Jeremy Sochan blocks Rudy Gobert's two point layup | ||
| 5:15 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 5:10 | | Keldon Johnson turnover (lost ball) (Jaden McDaniels steals) | ||
| 5:01 | | Keldon Johnson personal foul (Rudy Gobert draws the foul) | ||
| 5:01 | | +1 | Rudy Gobert makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-22 |
| 5:01 | | Rudy Gobert misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 4:58 | | Zach Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 4:41 | | Doug McDermott misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:37 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 4:27 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (Jordan McLaughlin assists) | 18-25 |
| 4:09 | | Doug McDermott turnover (bad pass) (Jaden McDaniels steals) | ||
| 4:08 | | Jaden McDaniels turnover (traveling) | ||
| 4:03 | | +3 | Doug McDermott makes three point jump shot (Romeo Langford assists) | 21-25 |
| 3:48 | | +3 | Taurean Prince makes three point jump shot (Jordan McLaughlin assists) | 21-28 |
| 3:39 | | +3 | Doug McDermott makes three point jump shot (Zach Collins assists) | 24-28 |
| 3:21 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point step back jump shot | ||
| 3:18 | | Doug McDermott defensive rebound | ||
| 3:06 | | Taurean Prince shooting foul (Zach Collins draws the foul) | ||
| 3:06 | | +1 | Zach Collins makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-28 |
| 3:06 | | +1 | Zach Collins makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-28 |
| 2:50 | | +3 | Jaylen Nowell makes three point turnaround jump shot | 26-31 |
| 2:31 | | Isaiah Roby misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:27 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 2:19 | | Romeo Langford personal foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 2:19 | | Spurs 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:19 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-32 |
| 2:19 | | Anthony Edwards misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 2:17 | | Isaiah Roby defensive rebound | ||
| 2:08 | | Doug McDermott misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:04 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 1:58 | | +3 | Jaylen Nowell makes three point jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 26-35 |
| 1:41 | | +2 | Isaiah Roby makes two point dunk (Zach Collins assists) | 28-35 |
| 1:27 | | Karl-Anthony Towns turnover (traveling) | ||
| 1:16 | | Anthony Edwards personal foul (Tre Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 1:08 | | Doug McDermott misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 1:05 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 1:00 | | +2 | Jaylen Nowell makes two point reverse layup (Taurean Prince assists) | 28-37 |
| 0:46 | | Zach Collins turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 0:36 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point layup (Jordan McLaughlin assists) | 28-39 |
| 0:14 | | Tre Jones misses two point finger roll layup | ||
| 0:11 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 0:02 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point driving layup | ||
| 0:00 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | | Tre Jones misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 11:41 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 11:32 | | Jaylen Nowell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:27 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 11:16 | | Zach Collins turnover (bad pass) (Naz Reid steals) | ||
| 11:12 | | Jaylen Nowell misses two point layup | ||
| 11:10 | | Keita Bates-Diop defensive rebound | ||
| 10:53 | | Zach Collins misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 10:50 | | Zach Collins offensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | Tre Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:45 | | Tre Jones offensive rebound | ||
| 10:45 | | Tre Jones misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:43 | | Keita Bates-Diop offensive rebound | ||
| 10:43 | | Keita Bates-Diop misses two point putback layup | ||
| 10:43 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point driving layup (Jordan McLaughlin assists) | 28-41 |
| 10:14 | | Keldon Johnson misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:11 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 9:58 | | Jaylen Nowell misses three point step back jump shot | ||
| 9:55 | | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:44 | | Rudy Gobert shooting foul (Tre Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 9:44 | | +1 | Tre Jones makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-41 |
| 9:44 | | +1 | Tre Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-41 |
| 9:20 | | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point layup (Naz Reid assists) | 30-43 |
| 9:06 | | +3 | Josh Richardson makes three point jump shot (Jakob Poeltl assists) | 33-43 |
| 8:47 | | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point floating jump shot (Rudy Gobert assists) | 33-45 |
| 8:36 | | +2 | Jakob Poeltl makes two point finger roll layup (Josh Richardson assists) | 35-45 |
| 8:21 | | D'Angelo Russell misses three point step back jump shot | ||
| 8:17 | | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:14 | | Keita Bates-Diop turnover (traveling) | ||
| 8:07 | | +3 | Taurean Prince makes three point jump shot (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 35-48 |
| 8:06 | | Spurs 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:47 | | +2 | Keita Bates-Diop makes two point finger roll layup (Josh Richardson assists) | 37-48 |
| 7:23 | | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point layup (Karl-Anthony Towns assists) | 37-50 |
| 7:17 | | +2 | Keita Bates-Diop makes two point layup (Josh Richardson assists) | 39-50 |
| 7:17 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Keita Bates-Diop draws the foul) | ||
| 7:17 | | +1 | Keita Bates-Diop makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 40-50 |
| 7:02 | | D'Angelo Russell turnover (bad pass) (Keita Bates-Diop steals) | ||
| 6:57 | | +2 | Keita Bates-Diop makes two point layup | 42-50 |
| 6:56 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:48 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point turnaround jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 42-52 |
| 6:37 | | +3 | Keldon Johnson makes three point jump shot (Keita Bates-Diop assists) | 45-52 |
| 6:23 | | +3 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes three point jump shot (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 45-55 |
| 6:07 | | Keita Bates-Diop misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:04 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 5:58 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:54 | | Keita Bates-Diop defensive rebound | ||
| 5:48 | | Keita Bates-Diop turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 5:40 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point dunk (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 45-57 |
| 5:40 | | Spurs 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:25 | | +3 | Josh Richardson makes three point jump shot (Keldon Johnson assists) | 48-57 |
| 5:11 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point driving layup (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 48-59 |
| 4:52 | | Jaden McDaniels blocks Keldon Johnson's two point floating jump shot | ||
| 4:48 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 4:37 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:35 | | Jakob Poeltl defensive rebound | ||
| 4:30 | | Jaden McDaniels blocks Keldon Johnson's two point layup | ||
| 4:27 | | Jaylen Nowell defensive rebound | ||
| 4:19 | | D'Angelo Russell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:17 | | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 4:10 | | Josh Richardson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:06 | | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 4:00 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:58 | | Doug McDermott defensive rebound | ||
| 3:46 | | Keldon Johnson turnover (bad pass) (Anthony Edwards steals) | ||
| 3:41 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (bad pass) (Josh Richardson steals) | ||
| 3:35 | | Jeremy Sochan turnover (lost ball) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 3:31 | | Josh Richardson personal foul (Jaylen Nowell draws the foul) | ||
| 3:18 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point layup | ||
| 3:16 | | Isaiah Roby defensive rebound | ||
| 3:13 | | Isaiah Roby turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 2:49 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 2:47 | | Zach Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 2:43 | | Tre Jones turnover (bad pass) (Anthony Edwards steals) | ||
| 2:39 | | Zach Collins shooting foul (Anthony Edwards draws the foul) | ||
| 2:39 | | +1 | Anthony Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 48-60 |
| 2:39 |