Ant vs. LeBron — and four more Monday Minnesota sports topics
It's easy to forget, for a number of reasons, just how young Anthony Edwards still is.
Part of it is that he has ascended quickly in his third NBA season. Part of it is that he has an August birthday and was just flat-out young when he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2020 (in a normal year, had Covid not pushed the process back, he would have still been 18 when picked).
Perhaps the biggest part is that he plays and acts in the biggest moments with a level of confidence often reserved for more seasoned players.
But it's true: Edwards is still just 21, a fact that when combined with his accomplishments and circumstance has put him in elite company.
LeBron James had eight playoff games in which he scored at least 30 points before he turned 22. That's No. 1 in NBA history. No. 2 on that list? Edwards, now, with five such games — including the last three in a row, the latest a 34-point effort that kept the Wolves' season alive.
Kobe Bryant had four such games. Luka Dončić, Derrick Rose and Tracy McGrady had three each.
Think about the company Edwards is keeping. Now think about what it takes to score that many points at that age in the playoffs: Be good enough to dominate older players when you are barely an adult, and help lead a team good enough to even make the playoffs.
And the thing is, Edwards had reached 30 points five times in just 10 total playoff games. Breaking LeBron's record would require an historic comeback from the Wolves, who trail the series 3-1 after winning Game 4.
Ant's last playoff game before turning 22 in August could very well be Tuesday in Denver. But if he goes down, you can expect him to go down scoring.
Here are four other things you need to know today:
*Wondering about the playoff history of the Wild and Wolves in Game 5 ahead of Tuesday games for both teams? Well, even if you weren't I'm going to tell you.
The Wild are 5-8 all-time in Game 5s, with the most recent win coming two years ago against Vegas. They lost Game 5 to the Blues last season and lost the series in six games.
The Wolves, meanwhile are 3-4 in Game 5s — with all three wins coming during their playoff run in 2003-04. They lost a 111-109 heartbreaker to Memphis last season in Game 5.
*The big NBA winner from Sunday's Target Center outcome, other than the Wolves? The Suns. Denver wanted to get extra rest before gearing up for a presumed matchup against Phoenix in Round 2. But with both series sitting at 3-1 after Denver expended extra energy in Sunday's overtime loss, they don't figure to get it.
*Former Star Tribune Vikings writer Kevin Seifert has a fun and interesting look back at the chaos in the draft room in 2003.
*Best news Sunday? Jorge Polanco hitting a home run for the Twins and Alex Kirilloff hitting two for the Saints. If there's any hope for a stagnant offense, it starts with healthy and productive swings from those two players.
