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Anthony Edwards, still recovering from a bruised and hyperextended left knee, has combined for just 30 points in Games 1 and 2.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App<\/a><\/p>\n Thirty-eight points normally\u00a0is\u00a0enough to win an entire playoff series and clearly overkill for any single game. Consider, a year ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals by a total of 36 points over five games.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Back in the NBA\u2019s second round again this spring, the Wolves got blown off the court at San Antonio\u2019s Frost Bank Center in Game 2 Wednesday by 38, 133-95<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n That makes the teams\u2019 respective goals heading into Game 3 on Friday (9:30 ET, Prime Video<\/a>),\u00a0ostensibly simple. The Spurs want to replicate their performance as much as possible\u00a0when both participants in a dynamic series are doing their best to\u00a0be moving\u00a0targets.\u00a0Minnesota, by contrast, wants to make their guests at Target Center wish\u00a0they\u2019d\u00a0held some of that bloated margin in reserve as emergency\u00a0points\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0need going forward.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Here are three things to watch for at 1-1, with the Spurs eager to grab back home-court advantage even as the Wolves try to assert some:\u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Edwards to flash his All-Star form<\/p>\n Ask any Wolves fan what their team needs to find an extra gear in Game 3 and\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0say \u201cMore Ant\u201d \u2013 and they\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0be talking about Memphis\u2019 point guard.\u00a0Anthony Edwards understandably has had a muted impact so far, owing to his ahead-of-schedule return from a bruised and hyperextended left knee (while not fully recovered from a sore right knee).\u00a0<\/p>\n That reality doesn\u2019t cut him any slack with the Spurs, who have limited Edwards while on the court to a combined 30 points in Games 1 and 2. Coming off the bench both nights, Edwards chastised himself after giving up a pair of crucial rebounds late in the opener, then had turnovers while posting a personal playoff worst minus-23 in his 24 minutes Wednesday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Edwards still drew the defensive respect from San Antonio of being double-teamed, but he dealt with\u00a0the traps less effectively than usual. His 13 shot\u00a0attempts in each game tied for\u00a0third-fewest\u00a0in his 48 playoff performances, and he has scored 30 points or more \u2013 in single games, not two \u2013 16 times.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Through their runs to the conference finals in 2024 and \u201925, Edwards\u2019 talent and the stress it puts on opponents has been Minnesota\u2019s superpower. Its record when he has scored 20+ in a playoff game: 19-14. And when he hasn\u2019t: 6-9. \u00a0<\/p>\n He\u00a0probably should\u00a0be back in the starting\u00a0lineup,\u00a0his minutes need to ramp up and forget about letting the game \u201ccome to him,\u201d as some coaches will advise. For the Wolves\u2019 good, Edwards\u00a0need\u00a0to seize it by the neck.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Less tipoff, more starting block<\/p>\n Expect both teams to aim for quick, explosive starts. San Antonio did that in Game 2, rocking the Wolves in the first quarter with aggressive offense from point guard De\u2019Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama. Minnesota knows that an early pounce is the surest way to maximize the series\u2019 shift to Minneapolis and, frankly, the extended happy hour of an 8:30 local time tipoff. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever we\u2019re able to start games off pretty well, we\u2019re usually on the front foot,\u201d Fox said, after he and\u00a0Wembanyama\u00a0flexed repeated pick-and-rolls that got both Spurs going.\u00a0\u201cWhen we\u2019re the aggressors, we\u2019re able to win most of those games.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Wolves\u00a0forward\u00a0Julius Randle saw the\u00a0flip side\u00a0of the Spurs\u2019 fast start. \u201cThey out-hustled us, out-physicaled\u00a0us, out-executed, played better defensively, more energy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bringing immediate intensity guarantees nothing over 48 minutes, but\u00a0not\u00a0bringing it almost assures the less frenetic team of an uphill night.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 3. A little Denver dislike from McDaniels\u00a0<\/p>\n Jaden McDaniels is Minnesota\u2019s best and most versatile perimeter, with plenty of San Antonio weapons in need of holstering if his team hopes to prevail. The lanky, normally laconic wing added to his impact in the first round by aggravating Denver with some \u201cbad defenders\u201d jibe after Game 2 and\u00a0his late layup at the end of Game 4.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n If McDaniels\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0going to pop off or irritate the Spurs in similar fashion, he at least needs to clamp down on one or more of San Antonio\u2019s scoring threats. The biggest obstacle so far? Foul trouble. He got whistled for five in the opener and had a quick three in Game 2, sending him to the bench. In his absence, the Spurs\u2019 lead ballooned from eight points to 24.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJaden was a bright spot for us,\u201d\u00a0Wolves coach Chris Finch said. \u201c(The fouls) certainly derailed his night, and we were never able to really benefit from a very good Jaden, which is important to us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That explained how McDaniels emerged from the 38-point drubbing with a mere minus-6 in his 19:35 minutes. But he has been and should be averaging double that, a disruptor picking up in the backcourt and certainly before San Antonio gets downhill into Rudy Gobert.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Against this foe, however, McDaniels might want to let his game do his talking.\u00a0Wembanyama\u00a0was asked before Game 1 about that sort of extracurricular, and he sounded as if he almost welcomed it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTalking is not something that bothers me,\u201d\u00a0the elongated one said. \u201cYeah,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0exciting. It makes the game even better. I always appreciate people helping me push through my limits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him\u00a0here<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on X<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n