On Wednesday night in South Florida, Anthony Edwards channeled his inner Michael Jordan, scoring 45 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Edwards led the Timberwolves to a 131-106 win over the Miami Heat, spoiling Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s debut for his new team.
“Ant Man” went 16-for-29 from the field, knocking down nine 3-point shots. He added 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
NBA Announces Anthony Edwards Historic Feat
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the NBA announced that Anthony Edwards made history and joined an elite company composed of just Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
“Anthony Edwards is the third player to record multiple games with 40 or more points in a season opener, joining Michael Jordan (three) and Wilt Chamberlain (four),” the NBA wrote.
Edwards scored 41 points in last season’s opener against the Portland Trail Blazers. He went 14-for-28 from the field and made five 3-point shots as the Timberwolves earned a 118-114 win.
Jordan recorded his three 40-point season-opening games in 1986 against the New York Knicks (50 points), in 1989 against the Cleveland Cavaliers (54 points) and in 1995 against the Charlotte Hornets (42 points).
Chamberlain, on the other hand, did it four consecutive times from 1960 to 1963. He scored 43 points against the Knicks in 1960, 42 points against the Detroit Pistons in 1961, 48 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1962 and 56 points against the Pistons again in 1963.
Heat Player Inspired Anthony Edwards’ Historic Night
Speaking to reporters after the Timberwolves’ win, Anthony Edwards revealed that Miami Heat player Myron Gardner sparked his performance on Wednesday night.
Gardner was talking so much trash that Edwards wanted to shut him up by scoring as much as he could.
“I think it kind of crunk me up,” Edwards said via John Krawczynski of The Athletic. “He was talking pretty crazy. When I start talking to him, he didn’t really have too much more to say. I don’t really like that. If you gonna talk sh*t, keep talking sh*t. Don’t get quiet.”
While Edwards had 45 points, Gardner had four points and three rebounds in three minutes of garbage time.
The Timberwolves and Heat have a few months before their next matchup on February 6 at the Target Center.
Edwards and company are back in action on Friday, still on the road, against the Orlando Magic. Their home opener is on Sunday, welcoming Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.
NBA Announces Anthony Edwards Historic Feat as Timberwolves Star Joins MJ, Wilt