Ant praises Kyrie after Christmas duel: 'Greatest point guard'

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards had high praise for Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving following their back-and-forth battle on Christmas Day.

"Kyrie, to me, he's the greatest point guard," Edwards told ESPN's Jorge Sedano postgame. "Anytime he gets going, it's tough to stop him. We got a couple big stops down the stretch, and we got some buckets, so that helped us."

Irving poured in 39 points across 37 minutes as the Mavericks staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter before ultimately losing 105-99. Mavericks star Luka Doncic was forced to leave the game in the first half after straining his left calf.

"He knows he's my favorite point guard of all time," Edwards said of a postgame chat with Irving. "It's always a battle. Last year in the playoffs, we were battling ... I love going against him. I love the isos. I love the matchup."

Edwards scored 26 points, including a key layup with 18 seconds left that stretched Minnesota's lead to four points. The Timberwolves improved to 15-14 on the season with the win.