This year's dunk belongs to Anthony Edwards.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star threw down an absolutely outrageous dunk late in a 114-104 win over the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on Monday night. Edwards got up fast and didn't flinch as he put Jazz forward John Collins on the poster.
Just watch:
In fact, Edwards threw the dunk so hard that it appeared he actually hurt his finger in the process. Edwards drew a foul on the play and stayed in the game.
The play itself was great, but for some reason the photo of the dunk was even better than the video.
“I want to say this to the kids: I passed. That's my assist,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. From Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “There are times when I'm really like, 'Yeah, I was going to shoot and I said no.' … What he did, brother, he motivated me. I was mad the whole rest of the game.” I was there.”
Without a doubt, it was the best dunk of his career, Edwards said.
Q: It didn't even hit the rim…
Anthony Edwards: “That's what I mean. I thought I was going to miss because I wasn't close to the rim, but somehow God allowed me to do it.”
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) March 19, 2024
Collins was removed from the game late in the fourth quarter due to Dunk suffering a suspected concussion.according to The Athletic's Shams CharaniaHe was diagnosed with a contusion to the head, but did not suffer a concussion.
Edwards on Monday averaged a career-high 26.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game, ranking fourth in the league. The former No. 1 overall pick earned his second consecutive All-Star selection this season and agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract extension with the Timberwolves last summer.
Despite falling behind by 16 points late in the first quarter, the Timberwolves fought back and got back into the game, going up 12-1 midway through the fourth quarter. From there, they persevered and scored 10 points to secure the victory.
Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 24 points off the bench in the loss. Lauri Markkanen had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Keyontae George had 15 points and eight assists. The Jazz have lost two straight to the Timberwolves and eight of their last 10 games, leaving their record at 29-39.
Edwards led the Timberwolves with 32 points, seven assists and seven rebounds on 13-of-23 field goals. Naz Reid scored 17 points and Nickell Alexander-Walker added 13 points off the bench. The Timberwolves are on a three-game winning streak and return home Tuesday night to begin a four-game homestand against the Denver Nuggets.
