Timberwolves Beat Trail Blazers Behind Anthony Edwards' Career Night

Even the Trail Blazers best defensive effort, one they didn't come close to giving, wouldn't have been enough to stop Anthony Edwards on Sunday.

Timberwolves Beat Trail Blazers Behind Anthony Edwards' Career Night /

Notes, observations, analysis and clips from the Trail Blazers' 114-112 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at Target Center.

The Blazers' disappointing game-long effort might have been enough for a win anyway, save for a pair of overturned foul calls around the one-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Ignore any local grousing about the officials changing two pro-Portland whistles in the game's waning moments; both overturns were clearly correct. The only warranted criticism stemming from either call belongs with the league office, which put the rule in place that triggers an automatic replay review if a drawn charge takes place near the restricted area. 'Wolves coach Chris Finch had just burned his only challenge when Damian Lillard slid in front of Ricky Rubio, but he and his coaching staff shrewdly reminded the refs of the automatic trigger. Lillard, to be clear, wasn't all that close to the half circle; the called charge was overturned because he was still moving when Rubio started his gather. Would Portland have avoided a loss if the second review wasn't triggered? Minnesota was up two with 30 seconds left when Lillard tried for another crunch-time charge. No one would have been surprised if he capitalized on it when the Blazers got the ball back.

Of course, Portland probably shouldn't have needed to rely on questionable calls in the clutch going its way to beat the extremely short-handed 'Wolves. The Blazers' defense wasn't as soft and inattentive as it was in Saturday's win, but was also nowhere close to airtight in terms of effort and execution. Karl-Anthony Towns, surprise, proved way too much for Enes Kanter again, forcing Terry Stotts to put Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. on him or go small altogether – double-teaming the post regardless. Towns is one of the toughest matchups in all of basketball for this Blazers roster, and passed out of extra attention with precision and creativity. He'd have been a handful for any team on Sunday. But all too often for the second game in a row did Portland make simple defensive mistakes that yielded scores or good looks for Minnesota. The Blazers no doubt had pre-game rules in place for switching, and surely read the scouting report on Jaylen Nowell, for instance. They definitely understand the need to always see the ball and stay between their man and the basket. Yet for too many possessions in Sunday's game, Portland made basic errors that would have you believing otherwise.

It's difficult to convey how ugly the first quarter of this game was on paper. Both teams not only came out flat, clearly lacking energy in wake of Saturday's contest, but fumbled the ball all over the floor. Minnesota had turnovers on three of its first four possessions. Portland managed just eight points in the game's first seven-and-a-half minutes. Lillard and Rubio somehow missed basically uncontested layups within a matter of seconds. Once it was finally and thankfully over, the Blazers' 20 points had set a new low for first-quarter scoring this season. The good news? The 'Wolves finished the opening stanza with only 24 points of their own.
Like with Towns before him, there were times even great individual and team defense would have done nothing to stop Anthony Edwards. He was a consistent presence at the rim early, beating defenders to the paint with a quick first step and aggressive, shoulder-first footwork on the drive. Edwards only really got going from the perimeter after a tough and-1 finish left him in a heap on the floor, grabbing at his side. He returned in the fourth quarter after missing much of the third, instantly looking every bit the superstar his status as No. 1 overall pick suggests. Edwards' finest moment in a game full of them came late on the possession below, one trip after Gary Trent Jr. drew an offensive foul on him with an obvious flop. Not bad payback, and Edwards let Trent know it after his sixth and final three splashed through.

Key stat: Minnesota's 29 made free throws, 12 more than Portland. Josh Okogie was a particular irritant in that regard, on multiple occasions going out of his way to draw contact offensively.
Any completed alley-oop for Portland deserves a highlight, right? This lob to a soaring Nassir Little was one of two backdoor assists from Carmelo Anthony on Sunday. He didn't have the jumper going like he did in the Blazers' win a day ago, but regularly showed off his vision and patience as a passer for the second game in a row. If 'Melo continues indulging his oft-dormant playmaking instincts going forward, he'll make a much more consistently positive impact for the Blazers.

Find by @carmeloanthony
Finish by @2ez_nassie pic.twitter.com/QU0TSB6EAj
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 15, 2021

Lillard scored 28 of his 38 points after halftime, an especially impressive feat considering how the 'Wolves loaded up to stop him defensively. They sagged far off shooters both on the weak side of the floor and one pass away from the ball, ensuring Lillard saw bodies behind the point of attack. Covington and Trent were eventually able to exploit the aggressive help Minnesota sent at Lillard, connecting on multiple catch-and-shoot threes. Derrick Jones Jr. missed both of his tries from deep, the 'Wolves routinely roaming off him like free safeties to muck up Lillard's driving and passing lanes. Teams have been paying Jones that disrespect more often as the season's continued; among its biggest remaining x-factors is whether he and the Blazers find a way to regularly make them pay.
Trent drained four triples, perhaps a sign his recent shooting struggles are over. But even when he's got it going, there just won't ever be a need for possessions like this. Portland will get enough of them from Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Anthony.

Published Mar 15, 2021