Anthony Edwards 'Just Got Hot' Amid Third Quarter Scoring Eruption vs. Rockets
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The Houston Rockets began their four-game road trip in a 111-90 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night. Although the Timberwolves' size and defense made it tough for the Rockets, the scoring performance by All-Star guard Anthony Edwards played the most significant role in Houston's defeat inside the Target Center.
Edwards finished with a game-high 32 points on 11 of 22 shooting, 4 of 8 from behind the arc. However, most of Edwards' damage came in the third quarter, where he single-handedly put the game out of reach.
"Ant [Anthony Edwards] just got hot," Jalen Green said. "Once he got hot, the whole team got going. We were with them the whole first half. The third quarter is where we lost it."
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards celebrates after scoring a basket against the Houston Rockets in the third quarter at Target Center.
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Edwards went ballistic in the period, scoring 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the field. He outscored the Rockets by himself, as the Timberwolves won the third period 36-20.
Edwards' play was a turnaround from his subpar first half performance. The Rockets had held Edwards to 1 of 8 shooting for six points during the first 24 minutes. Edwards said he was "off" amid his first half struggles. At the time, the Rockets had battled back from a 12-point deficit and entered the halftime break down 48-44. They entered the second half with the momentum to record their sixth road victory of the season.
However, Edwards was able to find his offensive rhythm after he scored a contested layup over the top of Alperen Şengün at the 10:08 mark of the third quarter.
"We guarded him well in the first half," Şengün said. "But he made tough shots in the second half. He is a good player. Again, we did not do a bad job in the first half. But the second half, it wasn't good."
The Timberwolves outscored the Rockets 63-46 in the second half following Edwards' scoring eruption, where he scored 26 points on 71.4 percent shooting while playing 15 minutes.
Rookie Cam Whitmore was the closest player who tried to match Edwards' second-half production, where he scored all 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the field, 3 of 5 from behind the arc.
