By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Anthony Edwards’ return from a mandatory suspension bolstered the Minnesota Timberwolves’ trip back to the NBA winning column on March 3, 2025, in the ongoing regular season.
After suffering back-to-back losses at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz, the Timberwolves finally got back to their winning ways and annihilated the Phoenix Suns, 116-98.
Edwards, who returned from serving a one-game suspension after reaching the limit of 16 technical fouls in a season, poured all of his frustrations against the Suns and dropped a game-high 44-point performance.
Minnesota’s franchise player had a rough start shooting the ball but picked up his rhythm in the final three minutes of the second frame, paving the way for an electric outing that silenced the Phoenix home crowd at the Footprint Center.
Edwards drew flashbacks of his playoff performance against the Suns when Minnesota eliminated them in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
From his aggressive drives to the basket to his three-point shooting, the daredevil shooting guard was just unstoppable and delivered a performance for the ages against his childhood role model, Kevin Durant.
Edwards was always vocal about how he idolized Durant, even admitting that every time he played against him, everything just zones out and all he thinks about is winning against the best hooper to ever play in the NBA in his eyes.
The high-flying guard displayed his deep offensive bag as he capped off the win with an efficient 12/22 shooting from the field including six three-pointers.
Edwards also had a perfect trip from the charity stripe, converting all of his 14 free throws while also tallying seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
Julius Randle, who also returned from an injury and missed the whole playing schedule in February, played as if he never left and backstopped Edwards with 20 markers, six boards, and three dimes.
This is Randle’s first NBA game since exiting the first half against the Utah Jazz on January 31, 2025, logging in 33 minutes due to load management.
