The Anthony Edwards trend disappeared in the last two games and shows something bigger

Sometimes when a star player leaves in the points department, it doesn’t translate into a win. Remarkably, the Nuggets were 0-4 when three-time MVP Nikola Jokic scored at least 50 until they finally won on November 12 this season on a night he dropped 55.

That wasn’t the case for Anthony Edwards. At the start of this season, the 2020 first overall selection had 19 games of at least 40 points. Before this season, the Timberwolves’ record in those games was 15-4. Edwards scored 41 in their season-opening win over the Trail Blazers. However, he also went for 40+ in the last two games, except Minnesota lost both in meltdown fashion.

After the two losses, the Timberwolves now have a record of 16-6 when Ant-Man scores at least 40 points. This trend, which has not held up over the past two games, reflects a larger theme for the Wolves. They can’t just count on Edwards to commit the offense; other players must provide consistent production.

In Monday’s game, no other Wolves player scored more than 17 points. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo both scored 17 points, but they did so on a combined 10-27 shooting. Edwards took eight of the Wolves’ 13 clutch shots. If the Wolves want to close out these games, it can’t just be Edwards anymore.

Edwards has scored over 40 in two straight losses

Last Friday, after a brief cold snap, Edwards went off for 41 points on 14-24 shooting (5-11 from beyond the arc). Of course, he missed two clutch free throws near the end, and the Suns scored the final nine points in the final minute to secure a one-point victory.

In the most recent game on Monday, Edwards finished the game against the Kings shooting 16-29 from the field and 5-11 from 3-point range en route to a 43-point night. Unfortunately for the team, they lost in overtime in a game where they had a 10-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. While Edwards made four of his six attempts in the extra frame, he missed his final three in the final 2:35 of the fourth quarter.

With these two big losses, no one is talking about Edwards bouncing back after a three-game stretch where he shot just 19-57 overall, including 2-23 from deep. Instead, all the talk was about how Minnesota completely folded in two games they absolutely should have won.

The hope is that two games are just a blip on the radar and fade into oblivion as the season progresses. However, in an ultra-competitive Western Conference, every win matters.

While Edwards didn’t necessarily help his team at the end of the last two fourth quarters, the 24-year-old has proven to deliver in the clutch before. Last season he finished third in the Clutch Player of the Year election, after finishing eighth in the first ballot in 2023-2024.

However, as previously mentioned, the Wolves need to find offense outside of Edwards.