The dunk of the year belongs to Anthony Edwards.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star threw down an absolutely ridiculous dunk in the second half of their 114-104 win over the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on Monday night. Edwards rose up on a fast break and didn’t flinch while putting Jazz forward John Collins on a poster.
Just watch:
In fact, Edwards threw down the dunk so hard he appeared to actually hurt his finger in the process. Edwards drew the foul on the play, and stayed in the game.
While the play itself was remarkable, the photos from the dunk were somehow better than the videos.
“I’m gonna tell my kids: I passed it. That’s my assist,” Nickiel Alexander-Walker said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Chris Hine. “I can really be like, ‘Oh I was about to shoot it, but I turned it down.’ … What he did, bro, he got me going. I was mad the rest of the game.”
Without a doubt, Edwards said, it was the best dunk of his career.
Q: You didn’t even hit the rim on it…
Anthony Edwards: “That’s what I’m sayin’. I was thinking I was gonna miss it because I wasn’t close to the rim, but somehow God willed it in for me.”
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) March 19, 2024
Collins was ruled out of the game later in the fourth quarter due to the dunk to be evaluated for a concussion. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, he was diagnosed with a head contusion but avoided a concussion.
Edwards entered Monday averaging a career-high 26.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game this season, his fourth in the league. The former No. 1 overall pick earned his second straight All-Star nod this season, and he agreed to a five-year, $260 million extension with the Timberwolves last summer.
Despite falling into a 16-point hole near the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves fought their way back into the game and then surged ahead midway through the fourth quarter on a quick 12-1 burst. From there, they held on to take the 10-point win.
Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 24 points off the bench in the loss. Lauri Markkanen added 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Keyonte George finished 15 points and eight assists. The Jazz, who have now lost two straight to the Timberwolves and eight of their last 10, hold just a 29-39 record.
Edwards led the Timberwolves with 32 points, seven assists and seven rebounds while shooting 13-of-23 from the field. Naz Reid added 17 points, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 13 points off the bench. The Timberwolves have on three straight, and will return home to kick off a four-game homestand against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
