KD brings out best in Ant: 'I want to beat him'

Anthony Edwards had one of his finest performances of the season Sunday night, dropping 44 points, seven assists, five boards, and a pair of steals in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 116-98 rout of the Phoenix Suns.

Edwards admitted postgame that it's no coincidence he's played some of his best basketball against Kevin Durant, his childhood hero.

"He's my favorite player of all time. He's the greatest player to me. I want to beat him. I want to go against him," Edwards told reporters, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.

Edwards was similarly clinical in last season's opening-round playoff series versus Durant and the Suns: He posted 31 points, eight boards, 6.3 assists, and two steals per contest in a four-game sweep.

Edwards' showing Sunday evening pushed his career point total to 8,548. That's the fifth-highest output in NBA history by a player before turning 24, according to The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman.

Minnesota snapped a two-contest skid and improved to 33-29 on the season. The T-Wolves sit eighth in the West and are now 4.5 games clear of the 11th-place Suns.