anthony-edwards-dunk-usatsi-1.png
USATSI

Anthony Edwards entered Monday's battle with the Utah Jazz knowing the fate of the Minnesota Timberwolves rested on his shoulders. With Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert injured, he was Minnesota's only healthy star. When key reserve Naz Reid also went down during the game, that pressure only amplified. An early 16-point deficit didn't exactly help matters, either.

But Edwards left Minnesota back into the game, and with the Timberwolves trailing by one, he took back the lead about as emphatically as you possibly can. With Minnesota playing defense, Nickeil Alexander-Walker poked the ball out of the hands of Keyonte George and towards Edwards. Edwards picked the ball up, passed it backed to Alexander-Walker and then raced down the lane expecting a pass back. Waiting for him at the rim was John Collins, who, at 6-foot-9, is five inches taller than him. 

Edwards didn't care. He dunked Collins into oblivion. Take a look:

The dunk was so emphatic that both players involved suffered injuries. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Collins suffered a head injury, but not a concussion. Edwards admitted after the game that he dislocated his finger, which was somewhat evident as he was holding it after the dunk as teammates came over to celebrate. Still, that didn't slow him or his team down. He stayed in the game to hit his free throw and then either scored or assisted every field goal the Timberwolves made for the rest of the third quarter.

Showmanship typically isn't a priority when playing with depleted depth, but Edwards is a natural. With his team relying on him, Edwards did more than just keep the Timberwolves afloat. He gave them a major energy boost with this monster jam that ultimately led to a 114-104 victory, and he gave us one of the greatest dunks we've seen in years.