No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards recorded his first career 40-point game on Thursday to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 123-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns, reaching numerous accolades in the process.
Edwards, at 19 years and 225 days old, finished with a career-high 42 points and seven rebounds to become the third-youngest player in NBA history to produce a 40-point game. He trailed only Kevin Durant (19 years, 200 days) and LeBron James (19 years, 88 days).
“I put in the work,” Edwards said. “I work in the dark. It should come to the light.”
With his performance on Thursday, Edwards now has the most points scored by a Timberwolves rookie in team history. In addition, his 42 points are the most by a rookie this season, topping the 39 points by Tyrese Maxey on Jan. 9.
ANTHONY EDWARDS HAD A NIGHT 🔥
He dropped a career-high 42 PTS, making him the third youngest player to score 40+ in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/JpWNV0StQm
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 19, 2021
The career night by Edwards continued an incredible recent streak.
Edwards has poured in 105 points over his last three games to become the first teenager in history to total 100 or more points in a three-game span, according to ESPN Stats & Info. He has scored at least 19 points in nine straight games, averaging 26.4 points over that span.
Behind the stellar play of Edwards, and others, the Timberwolves have now gone 3-2 over their last five games after losing nine straight beforehand. The team appears to be on an upward trend and that has a lot to do with Edwards catching on fire.
Coming into the season, the Timberwolves were extremely high on Edwards and had high hopes for him this season. He is showing exactly why the organization took him at the top of the draft and it is only the beginning of what he can offer the team.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[lawrence-related id=29613,28953,28235]
[mm-video type=video id=01ez08dm2a724vn897 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ez08dm2a724vn897/01ez08dm2a724vn897-111c0695359967552054b19f2f852356.jpg]
[listicle id=29608]