Anthony Edwards: 'I can't let my team down like that'

Edwards took the blame for Minnesota's rough finish in Dallas.

Anthony Edwards scored 36 points but didn't attempt for the bulk of a scoring drought over the final four minutes that cost the Timberwolves in a 115-108 loss in Dallas Sunday night. 

While it was a collective failure as Minnesota was outscored 13-2 over the final 3:53 of the game – the Wolves led 106-100 after trailing by nine points to start the fourth quarter – Edwards took the blame afterward in the visitors locker room. 

"I feel like, once again, I left bullets in the chamber. I'll take this one, for sure. I gotta be aggressive down the stretch," Edwards said. 

After Edwards banked in a two-point bucket with 3:53 on the clock, he took just three shots the rest of the game, including none from when there was 3:14 remaining until there was 11 seconds to go. 

Here's a list of shots taken by Minnesota after they went ahead 106-100. 

• Anthony Edwards missed 3-pointer with 3:14 to go
• Jaden McDaniels missed 3-pointer with 2:41 to go
• Karl-Anthony Towns missed 3-pointer with 1:51 to go
• Karl-Anthony Towns missed 3-pointer with 46.1 seconds left
• Anthony Edwards dunk with 11.1 seconds left
• Anthony Edwards missed 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left

"I took one shot in the last three minutes of the game," Edwards said, though he actually took two in the final 11 seconds. "I need to take them (shots) with two minutes left on the clock. Yeah, that's on me. I gotta be better, I gotta be more aggressive, I can't let the double-team just make me not aggressive."

Turnovers were a bigger killer than Edwards not taking shots. The pivotal moment was when Kyrie Irving hit a 3 to tie the game at 106-106. Then on Dallas' next trip down the court, after a Jaden McDaniels missed 3, Rudy Gobert stole the ball from Irving only to have Irving steal it back two seconds later and then hit a corner 3 for a 109-106 lead. 

A bad pass from Gobert with 1:10 remaining killed more game clock and then Kyle Anderson's errant pass for another turnover with 24 seconds remaining was a dagger. 

"I just gotta be aggressive down the stretch. I can't let my team down like that. I gotta be aggressive and do what I do down the stretch," Edwards added. 

The loss snapped Minnesota's 25-game win streak when leading at any point in the fourth quarter, but they're still 25-10 overall and leading the Western Conference.

But pressure is beginning to mount – they've lost four of seven games – and the next two games, Tuesday and Wednesday in Orlando and Boston, will serve as tests to see how Edwards and the Timberwolves respond to adversity. 

Jan 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts to a foul call during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center / Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports