It may only be March, but Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards may already have the NBA dunk of the season.
In the third quarter of Minnesota’s 114-104 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night, Edwards led the charge on a fastbreak after a steal, took off from the dotted line after receiving the ball and elevated for a booming poster slam over six-foot-nine Utah forward John Collins.
The highlight play swiftly went viral on social media and thrilled Edwards’ teammates, with the ‘Wolves bench barely able to contain themselves after the monster dunk.
The slam was so powerful that both players were left feeling the effects of it in the immediate aftermath.
Collins was forced to leave the game and was checked for a concussion before eventually being diagnosed with a head contusion. Meanwhile, Edwards was seen clutching his hand as his teammates mobbed him and revealed after the game that he dislocated his finger in the process. Per the NBA, he returned to the locker room during a subsequent timeout to pop it into back into place and get it taped up before returning to the court.
“I was thinking I was gonna miss [the dunk] because I wasn’t close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me,” Edwards said after the game, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Chris Hine.
“It gives me chills, man. Because, like, I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that and watching Vince Carter jump over somebody or like watching T-Mac (Tracy McGrady). I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that and that was like my favorite one of all time.”
Edwards described the dunk as the best of his career on the broadcast – high praise, considering the unforgettable poster he had against the Toronto Raptors during his rookie season.
Edwards led the Timberwolves in scoring, posting 32 points to go along with seven rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and a steal on a night where Minnesota was without its star big man duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.
“That’s what a leader does, man,” Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley said, per the Star Tribune. “He’s putting his team on his back. He’s putting us first and he’s putting his health aside and saying, ‘Hey, it’s an important stretch for us. We need to get these wins.’
“I’m his biggest fan. He won me over again tonight not just the dunk, but dislocating his finger, going back there taping it up, finishing the game how he did. Those are stories I’ll be telling people when I’m old and gray.”
The win pushes Minnesota to 47-21 on the season, as they continue to battle for the top seed in the Western Conference. The ‘Wolves are currently second, half a game behind the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Jazz on the other hand fall to 29-39 after the loss, though they were handed a boost by the return of former All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, who posted 22 points and 12 rebounds after a six-game absence. Guard Collin Sexton led the team in scoring with 24 points off the bench.
“I thought there was a lot of good stuff from the team tonight,” Utah coach Will Hardy said after the game. “Credit to Minnesota … Anthony Edwards hit some tough shots in the fourth quarter, which is who he is. I thought we put ourselves in a position to win the game going into the fourth quarter. … Tied game at home, that’s all you can ask for.”
The Timberwolves return to the court on Tuesday night to take on the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second leg of a back-to-back, while the Jazz will battle the Thunder on Wednesday.
