Anthony Edwards scores 37 in Wolves' blowout win over Trail Blazers

Edwards scored 19 points in the third quarter to put the game away for good.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) works around Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe in the first quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Nov. 8, 2024. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves scored the game's first 10 points and the Portland Trail Blazers missed their first 10 shots.

Things never got much better for the Trail Blazers as the Timberwolves dominated from start to finish and never trailed on their way to a 127-102 victory Friday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. The win is Minnesota's third straight.

Anthony Edwards put the game away once and for all in the third quarter, helping turn a 13-point halftime lead into a 23-point advantage by the end of the third quarter. Edwards scored 19 points in the frame, including five 3-pointers. He even briefly exited to the locker room after appearing to twist his ankle, but quickly returned and immediately drilled a 3.

Edwards finished with a game-high 37 points, six rebounds and five assists and didn't even play in the fourth quarter.

The 37 points matched a season high for Edwards, who shot 12 for 22 from the field, including 9 of 15 from 3.

"I'm not like shocked or anything because I worked so hard for it," Edwards said of his hot shooting. "I worked so hard on my trey ball, so it's like, 'Here we go, this is what's supposed to happen.' Hopefully it keep going that way."

Rudy Gobert set the defensive tone early for the Wolves (6-3), recording all three of his blocks in the game's opening minutes. Minnesota opened the game on a 10-0 run and shut down the Blazers (3-7), who couldn't buy a bucket early.

Gobert finished with eight points, 15 rebounds and the three blocks, grabbing his 9,000th career rebound in the process.

The Wolves opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run — Julius Randle scored eight of those points, including a pair of 3-pointers — and built a 27-point lead, their largest of the night. But Portland answered with a 13-0 run to get back in it.

Randle tallied 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. Scoot Henderson led the Blazers with 16 points off the bench.

The game was so well in hand late that the Wolves were able to empty their bench, allowing the likes of rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., PJ Dozier and Luka Garza all get over four minutes of action. The sold-out Target Center crowd was electric when Dillingham drilled a 3-pointer, the first of his career, with just under four minutes to play.

Dillingham finished with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting, two assists and three rebounds in six minutes.

It was a dominant performance on both ends of the floor for the Wolves, who appear to be finding some rhythm with their third straight win and a particularly impressive performance on the second half of a back to back.