The Minnesota Timberwolves faced off against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas in what looked like a dogfight till the very end. The two teams, desperate to prove their worth in the Western Conference, fought relentlessly till the final buzzer. However, some heroics from Kyrie Irving in crunch time sealed the victory for the Mavericks. Seems like the Timberwolves’ franchise player, Anthony Edwards, did not handle this loss very well.

After the game, Edwards vented his frustration at the loss. Holding the No.1 seed in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves definitely could not have considered this loss anything other than an upset. Hence, when his team suffered a heartbreaking loss, Edwards took the blame upon himself.

Anthony Edwards gets introspective after the loss

Anthony Edwards put out a stellar performance in the game against Luka Doncic and Co. scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. However, his collapse in crunch time had a huge role to play in Minnesota’s loss. He expressed his frustration regarding this very upset at the post-game press conference.

Anthony Edwards postgame if it stung to lose a game in the clutch, given that they've been so good in the clutch this season…

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

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 8, 2024

Edwards claimed he “left bullets in the chamber” after the loss, criticizing himself for not showing enough aggression. “I took one shot in the last three minutes of the game… I need to take them m***********s with two minutes left on the clock. That’s on me, though. I gotta be better. I gotta be more aggressive,” he said.

Edwards may be self-critical after the loss, but what Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving did together cannot be overlooked. While the Timberwolves star crumbled, Irving came alive in crunch time, which made the difference in the game. Now, while the Mavericks rejoice in their victory, the Timberwolves will have a lot to reflect on.

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Do the Minnesota Timberwolves have what it takes?

Anthony Edwards and his troops have played some of the best basketball in their careers this season. From lockdown defense to free-flowing offense, the Timberwolves look like a well-oiled machine. However, the team’s playoff struggle has plagued them for several years. Will they overcome this hurdle this season?

The Timberwolves made a bold trade that landed French big man, Rudy Gobert in Minnesota last season. While the team received heavy flak for this move last season, the fans have slowly started to fall in love with the 3x Defensive Player of the Year on the Timberwolves roster. Much of the credit goes to Gobert’s revolutionary change in his defensive gameplay this season. Supported tremendously by Karl-Anthony Towns‘ offensive growth, the team has risen to the top of the Western Conference. However, the last 10 games have been fairly difficult for West’s No.1 team.

With a 5-5 record in the last 5 games, it is evident that teams have slowly started to figure out the young side. Hence, Anthony Edwards and Co. must address their issues and regroup as a team to prove their legitimacy as championship contenders.

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