PHOENIX – Rookie Anthony Edwards has scored 42 points in his career, Karl-Anthony Towns added 41 and the Minnesota Timberwolves suddenly look like a respectable NBA basketball team.
The Timberwolves used the dominant combination of Edwards-KAT and a fourth-quarter comeback to stun the Phoenix Suns 123-119 Thursday night. They have won three out of five games since the All-Star break.
At 19 years and 225 days old, Edwards became the third youngest player in NBA history with a 40-point game.
“Our future success begins now,” said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch.
The Timberwolves still have the worst record in the NBA at 10-31, but have played much better in recent weeks. Edwards and Towns wore Minnesota in this one, streaming points from all over the floor.
After the game, Edwards gave his jersey away to his “blood brother” who was at the game and gave his shoes to some other fans. The 19-year-old grinned from ear to ear as he walked off the track.
“We win,” he said. “It’s always happy when we win.”
Edwards, who was number 1 in Georgia last summer, made 15 of the 31 shots. Cities were even more efficient, taking 15 of the 24 shots, including 5 of the 7 3-pointers. Juancho Hernangomez dipped with 2.5 seconds left to seal it.
It was only the second time in Minnesota franchise history that two players scored 40 points in the same game.
“Incredibly special,” Finch said. “They played pretty efficiently. KAT almost has a triple-double. They were carrying us.”
Jevon Carter hit a 3 pointer just before the third quarter buzzer to give the Suns a 91-83 lead. But the Timberwolves kept the game tight and Towns tied it to 107 after a 3-pointer with less than five minutes to go. Towns also added 10 rebounds and eight assists.
These were the kind of performances that the Timberwolves envisioned when they chose Edwards, who has a nice jumper and produced a pair of highlights on Thursday. The 6-foot-4 guard has averaged 30.6 points over his past five games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.