Anthony Edwards is unquestionably one of the best players in the association, and some even believe he is the best player in the NBA bar one. Now, it's hard to crown Edwards given how talented his teammates are, but the fact that he's keeping pace with the elite is nothing less than a huge win for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On Friday night, with Edwards playing for the Timberwolves for the first time since the All-Star break, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game MVP picked up right where he left off. He scored 40 points for Minnesota to lead them to a 122–111 win over the Dallas Mavericks, and in doing so, he notched his eighth 40-point game of the 2025–26 campaign.
This places him in rarefied air; This season, only two players have scored 40 points in a single game at least eight times, with Edwards joining Luka Doncic in that exclusive club, as reported by the official ClutchPoints account on Ax (formerly Twitter).
Edwards is now averaging 29.5 points per contest on the season, which ranks him third in the association behind Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That's why the Timberwolves are emerging as a secret contender in the Western Conference, and Edwards is a big factor in that.
Timberwolves don't let off the gas pedal vs. Mavericks
It was thanks to a stellar first quarter performance that the Timberwolves managed to create a comfortable cushion between themselves and the Mavericks. At the end of the period they were already ahead by 15, and Edwards scored only three runs during that period. Edwards led the way in the second frame, scoring 17 points in 10 minutes, and Minnesota kept Dallas at bay for most of the game.
Edwards, who was without Cooper Flagg on Friday night due to a foot injury, battled his way against an overmatched Mavs team.
