Anthony Edwards gets back to scoring ways, but the rest doesn't click for Wolves

Edwards scored a career-high 53 points in Saturday night's loss to the Pistons.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards dribbles in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Jan. 4, 2025. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was frustrated after Thursday night's loss to the Boston Celtics.

Edwards has been the center of attention for opposing defenses all season, and Thursday night was more of the same. The Celtics were double teaming him and forcing him off the ball. The shots weren't there — Edwards attempted just 16 in the game, which are four fewer than his per-game average. He finished with 15 points, 10 below his per-game average.

"It's hard to beat two NBA players, you know what I mean?" Edwards said after Thursday's loss to the Celtics. "These dudes are NBA players, it's not like high school or middle school. These dudes are 6-8, 6-9, long, strong, athletic. Then they funnel me to the dude who 8-feet tall at the rim. It's crazy, man, it's crazy."

Edwards has been trying to figure out how to handle the extra attention and double teams, but appeared stumped after Thursday's game. "I don't know what to do," he said. It hasn't been for lack of trying; Edwards is watching film, and even Thursday, he was making the right plays. An example was the third quarter when he attempted just one shot but had five assists. Minnesota outscored Boston 34-29 in the quarter, though that's ultimately not how Edwards said he wants to play.

"I'm only 23, I don't want to just be passing the ball all night, you feel me?" he said. "... But the way they guarded me, I think I had to."

Like clockwork, Edwards took initiative his next time out Saturday night. He put together his most dominant offensive performance of the season, scoring a career-high 53 points in a 119-105 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Edwards shot an incredible 10 for 15 from 3-point range, and 16 for 31 from the field overall, while also adding six boards and two assists.

“He did a lot of great things," Wolves coach Chris Finch told reporters postgame. "He went fast, he was decisive, he stayed committed to going in one direction. He got around guys, turned corners, was back to committing to shooting his 3 when it was there, he got to the free-throw line, so a lot of things that we’ve talked about him doing to get himself going.” 

Edwards also didn't abandon his passing. While he finished with just two assists, he was still making the right plays, with shots just often not falling. The rest of the team outside of Edwards shot just 18 for 49 from the field (36.7%) and 6 for 25 from 3-point range (25%). Julius Randle was the only other Wolves player to score in double figures with 17 points.

The Wolves still need to find a way to get everything working together. Even though Edwards was on fire Saturday night, Minnesota's offense still had droughts, and the Wolves couldn't get stops when they needed to defensively. They just haven't been able to get everything working together this season, the current three-game skid being the latest example.

"That’s a little bit the story of our season so far. It’s the consistency of all the different pieces just hasn’t been there," Finch said.