Kevin Durant ignored Anthony Edwards' trash talk after the young and confident Minnesota guard led the Timberwolves to a 120-95 victory against the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoffs first-round matchup on April 20.
Durant told reporters it's just basketball, not even playoffs, just playing basketball, when asked about his exchange with Edwards in the third quarter. He also mentioned that when you get hot and make tough shots, you're naturally going to feel excited about yourself. He took it upon himself to keep coming back and showing Edwards a tough look. Minnesota dominated the rebounding with 52-28 and scoring inside the paint with 52-34. During the intense third quarter, Edwards outscored Durant 18-10 as the Timberwolves broke the game wide open with a 19-4 run.
ANT & KD 😂 pic.twitter.com/q5nYFrAjZI
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 20, 2024
Edwards mentioned that he thinks everyone knows Durant is his favorite player of all time and that it was one of the best feelings he's ever had in his whole life.
Edwards, aged 22, led the Timberwolves with 33 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Durant, aged 35, finished with 31 points and 7 rebounds for the outmatched Suns. Edwards said Durant is his favorite player of all timeand it was one of the best feelings in his life.
But it was Edwards who was the best player on the court in Game 1.
The Suns held a 28-27 first-quarter lead before the Timberwolves capitalized on their lack of size and depth.
Edwards was thrilled after outperforming his childhood hero, but he still prepared for Durant and the Suns' comeback, managing his expectations.
Edwards acknowledged that it's just one game and that the Suns will likely be ready to go the next time they play against the Timberwolves.
Durant said Edwards got it going and made some tough shots, implying that they just have to accept it and strive to do better in the next game.
Despite outdueling Durant in the intense third-quarter match, Edwards couldn't help but admire the Suns superstar's incredibly smooth play.
Durant is considered the 'Greatest' by Anthony Edwards.
Edwards couldn't help but become a fan of Durant's performance in the third quarter, recognizing the Suns star's remarkable skills and abilities. He felt they were supposed to be up by 15 or 18 points early in the third quarter, but Durant's performance left him in awe.
Edwards recognized that Durant was unstoppable during the third quarter and acknowledged that Durant is the greatest player of all time.
The Suns co-star Devin Booker only had 18 points on 5 of 16 shooting. However, he attributed his poor Game 1 performance to early foul trouble and the physical defense of the Minnesota team.
Booker explained that they all need to adapt to the physicality of the playoffs and that their opponents were extremely physical with him, leading to his three early fouls which forced him to the bench. This made it challenging for him to find a rhythm from there.
The Timberwolves' star guard shot 14 out of 24 from the field and successfully made 50% of his 3-point attempts. The Suns had no one capable of stopping him.
Devin Booker pointed out that the Minnesota's physical defense caused him to have a rough Game 1 performance. Durant's co-star, Devin Booker only managed 18 points on a 5 of 16 shooting.
Vogel, the Suns coach, acknowledged the great perimeter defenders on the opposing team and expressed that they could be more creative in getting Booker open. Booker had a 1 out of 6 success rate when playing against Jaden McDaniels, who is known as a top defender on the outside for Minnesota, according to the NBA’s matchup tracker.NBA’s matchup tracker
. He was 1 of 3 against McDaniel’s backup Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Kevin Durant reacts to Anthony Edwards’ taunting comments after the Timberwolves’ strong win against the Suns in Game 1. “They got some great perimeter defenders on that team, [but] we can be more creative in getting [Booker] open.”
Booker was 1 of 6 against Minnesota’s premier perimeter defender Jaden McDaniels, per NBA’s matchup tracker. He was 1 of 3 against McDaniel’s backup Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
