The NBA community had its eyes on the blockbuster game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. It was a rematch from the 2025 Western Conference Finals, and it felt like a true postseason matchup.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again stood out for the defending champions, but it was Anthony Edwards who took home the victory and everyone's attention. Edwards came up with plenty of big moments, especially during crunch time.
McDaniels is not surprised by Edwards anymore
As two players who entered the league at the same time in 2020, Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are extremely close. They have been working together for a while, so they are not surprised when one of them plays well.
In fact, they are the biggest fans of each other's game, as both Edwards and McDaniels go out of their way to praise the other. Edwards has always been a firm believer that McDaniels is much more than just a lockdown defender, and McDaniels always knows that Edwards is a superstar-level player.
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A day after the big win against the Thunder, McDaniels was interviewed after practice. He made sure to address what Edwards did in the last 90 seconds of the win against the Thunder. That involved big defensive plays and a huge shot to finish with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
"I’m super impressed. I know he’s willing and wants the big moments and the big shots. It’s not our first time we’ve seen him make a shot like that and then defense, it’s the same stuff, I see him fly to the rim chasedown block vs Indiana like when he jumped over my head, then he did the same thing last night," McDaniels said to Zone Coverage's Andrew Dukowitz after practice.
The Timberwolves are having a decent season, but they are capable of doing much more. They were in the past two Western Conference Finals, so they want to exceed that and succeed.
With this win over the Thunder, it could be the confidence booster they have needed. Considering head coach Chris Finch got himself ejected against the Thunder, it just shows that this team is passionate about succeeding in a conference dominated by OKC.