Anthony Edwards hammers officiating in Timberwolves win over Thunder،
OKLAHOMA CITY — Anthony Edwards didn't celebrate after driving through the middle of the Oklahoma City Thunder's defense and throwing down a fierce two-handed dunk in traffic, a crucial play in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 107-101 victory Monday night with first place. in the Western Conference at stake.
Edwards instead complained when the Thunder called a timeout after his basket, which pushed Minnesota's lead to four points with 1:57 to play. Edwards grabbed his left wrist immediately after the touchdown, indicating he thought he was fouled on the play. He looked at crew chief Mark Lindsay, who was standing a few feet away from him on the line. background, and raised his arms in an animated shrug before grabbing his left wrist again.
Edwards kept his composure as the Timberwolves closed out the win — thanks to a dominant defensive performance led by center Rudy Gobert and forward Jaden McDaniels — and made a point of repeatedly criticizing the officiating afterward. He said during his postgame on-court interview on the Timberwolves telecast, “I'm going to take the fine, because the refs didn't call us tonight,” and continued to address the subject in the locker room.
“The refs were bad tonight. Yeah, they were terrible,” Edwards told ESPN without asking. “We were playing 8 against 5.”
Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points, shooting 10 of 20 from the floor and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Edwards thought he deserved several more trips down the line.
“The cat had its tongue tonight, so it’s all good,” Edwards said of the refs. “It’s not fair, but it’s okay.”
Oklahoma City superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to keep the Thunder in the game on an off night for the big man candidate for Rookie of the Year , Chet Holmgren, who was limited to four points on 2-of-1. 9 shots. McDaniels, a small forward, was Holmgren's primary defender, allowing Gobert to keep Josh Giddey or whoever was the Thunder's worst 3-point shooter on the floor, sagging his man to clog the paint.
Gilgeous-Alexander was 15 of 16 from the line, shooting one more free throw than all the Timberwolves combined.
“It's a little tough to guard him if that's the case, but we did a good job of mixing things up and trying to get steals afterward,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “They had some guys that we shot the ball really well from the 3-point line that we were pretty willing to live with, and they hurt us a little bit, but it dried them up at the right time for us.”
Edwards' problems with the referee focused on several non-calls during his practices, not the whistles received by Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages the third-most free throws attempted in the league.
“When he gets to the line, he does it in his sleep,” Edwards said. “Yeah, he's unstoppable. Nobody can guard him. He's good. He's super good. But yeah, the refs were bad tonight.”
Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, compared the game to a “championship fight” because of its physicality and intensity. Both teams entered the game tied for first place in the West, but they were both coming off losses to last place teams; the Timberwolves fell in San Antonio on Saturday and the Thunder were defeated in Detroit on Sunday afternoon.
It was a tight, close game for most of the fourth quarter, putting the Timberwolves in the kind of clutch situation that had been problematic without point guard Mike Conley, who sat out with hamstring soreness . Minnesota entered the night 1-3 without Conley, including close losses to the lottery-bound Charlotte Hornets and Spurs the previous week.
The Timberwolves took the lead for good when Edwards read the defense on a pick-and-roll with Gobert and hit McDaniels for an open corner 3 with 2:32 left. Edwards drove for his emphatic dunk the next possession.
“He was ready,” Gobert said of Edwards. “He didn't get the calls, but he kept his composure, trusted his teammates and made the right play, I think, 95 percent of the time, which is incredible.”
The Timberwolves sealed the victory with stifling defense, highlighted by a move by Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams on the ensuing possession as he drove down the lane, but he shuffled his feet under pressure from the triple defensive player of the Gobert year.
“That’s what I live for: winning games,” said Gobert, who had 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting, 18 rebounds and a team-high plus-11 plus-minus. “That's why I'm here, and that's what I'm very proud to do on the pitch on both ends. Obviously, when there's two minutes left and it's a tight or close game, everything goes up – – concentration, intensity. That's what I like to do.”
It's a win that epitomizes the type of team the Timberwolves, who boast the league's top-ranked defense, strive to be.
“When we play with that mindset, it’s fun and we see what it looks like to maximize our potential,” Gobert said.
As pleasing as the victory was, Edwards was exasperated by what he saw as unfavorable officiating. The 22-year-old, named an All-Star for the first time last season and averaging 25.9 points and 5.3 assists, said he doesn't think he gets the same respect from the referees than the other stars of the league. He was willing to accept a fine from the league office to express his frustration after Monday's victory.
“I did not win [referees’ respect] Still, so it's okay,” Edwards said. “But I think tonight the refs were bad. It was terrible. We didn’t get any calls as a team. I got fouled a few times and I walk up to the referee and say, “Hey, can you watch this?” They just shake their heads. Yeah. And then soon, someone gets off their team and gets kicked out, it's a foul.
“So I just feel like it wasn't a fair game tonight from the jump. And that's why I'm super happy we won the game.”
