Edwards: 'Just trying to be a pest' toward LeBron

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards learned a lot from LeBron James and the other elders on Team USA at the Olympics last summer, yet more fuel for the bouncy, energetic and brash Minnesota Timberwolves guard in his journey to becoming one of the best players in the game.

The presence of James and his Los Angeles Lakers has been bringing out the best in Edwards in these NBA playoffs, too.

With 43 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the 116-113 comeback victory in Game 4 on Sunday, Edwards led the Timberwolves to a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.

“We played together at USA, and he was like a big brother to me. He looked out for me. He helped me out a lot with IQ and reading the game and everything,” Edwards said, before flashing a smile. “Just trying to be a pest to him out there.”

Edwards had 10 points, two assists and a steal over the final 4:21 of the second quarter to spur a 19-8 run by the Wolves. He picked up his only two fouls during that stretch, too, both while closely guarding James while he had the ball. On the first one, he delivered several exaggerated forearm shoves at James to try to establish his position before the whistle finally blew.

After his slick pass off a drive to the paint that set up Julius Randle for a layup, Edwards was jawing at James as he bobbed his head on the way back. A few minutes later, Edwards drained a 3-pointer that brought the Wolves within 55-52 before he turned to talk trash to the Lakers who were on the bench.

“It's going to be physical, man,” Edwards said. “I wouldn’t say I was trying to make a point. Just letting him know that we here: ‘You ain’t just going to push around all night.’”

For the second straight game, the Wolves dominated down the stretch to continue a timely reversal of their regular season trend. The Wolves have outscored the Lakers in the fourth quarter of every game, by a total of 105-69 including a 32-19 edge in Game 4. They finished Game 3 on a 13-1 run.

Edwards has naturally had his hand in all of the rallies, but not simply as a scorer. Teammate Naz Reid, who had eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:21 remaining to make it 108-107, credited the time Edwards spent with Team USA for his late-game development.

“He knows he’s going to get doubled a lot, so he’s just believing in us and trusting in us,” Reid said. "He’s seen us put the work in, so I think he trusts us now.”

Edwards credited his commitment to film review and work with personal development coach Chris Hines for the clutch-time improvements.

“He’s been real meticulous with what he’s doing late in the games,” teammate Mike Conley said. “He’s taking his time, really sizing up the defense, understanding where guys are going to be on the court, taking what’s there and available.”

Edwards didn't attempt a single free throw in Game 3, and coach Chris Finch was asked before the game how the Lakers had been able to defend him without fouling.

“Well, they haven’t. He hasn’t gotten the whistle, but he’s done a really good job of managing his emotions around that," Finch said, a reference to Edwards leading the league in the dubious category of technical fouls during the regular season.

In Game 4, Edwards got plenty of whistles. He went 14 for 17 from the free-throw line, including a pair of makes with 10.7 seconds left after James was called for a foul on his arm that dislodged the ball from his hand as he drove to the basket and lost it out of bounds.

The initial call was Lakers ball, but a replay review confirmed the foul on James.

“I felt like the hand was a part of that ball,” James said, asserting that the rulebook should allow for that contact without a whistle. “I’ve seen that play over and over before, but it is what it is.”

Edwards upstaged two superstars on the other side — both James and Luka Doncic, who bounced back from a stomach bug that limited his energy in a lackluster Game 3.

Lakers coach J.J. Redick was so impressed by the 14-0 start by his team in the third quarter that he kept the entire lineup on the floor for the rest of the game — including the 40-year-old James and the recovering-from-illness Doncic along with Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith.

“This is the playoffs. Fatigue shouldn’t play any role in this,” Doncic said. “I played a lot of minutes, but that shouldn’t play a role. I think they just executed better on the defensive end during the last minute.”

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