Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards reacts to snagging historic Michael Jordan feat in win over Heat
Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards reacts to snagging historic Michael Jordan feat in win over Heat originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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One NBA offseason acquisition can unlock a star player in the right ways. The Minnesota Timberwolves saw this happen in real time when Anthony Edwards balled out alongside LaMelo Ball. No one on the Miami Heat, not even Giannis Antetokounmpo, could stop the young star. By the end of the 131-106 rout, the insanely talented shooting guard matched records set by Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor.
Timberwolves' Edwards equals Jordan, Chamberlain in insane NBA historic feat during win vs. Heat
New squads usually take time to heat up in the NBA. That was the expectation for the Minnesota Timberwolves after they traded for LaMelo Ball. However, they do not seem to need the extra time to find their roles. Everyone started to pop off immediately against the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards especially. At one point, it even looked like Giannis Antetokounmpo was a non-factor on the court.
Edwards made it rain in Kaseya Center. Coach Chris Finch and the Timberwolves saw him finish with 45 points, shooting 55.2% from the field and 52.9% from three-point range. Not to mention, he also dropped three assists to help Ball and the Timberwolves' offense.
Defensively, Edwards was also doing great. He grabbed 10 rebounds, stole two, and blocked one. By the end, he was the main reason Antetokounmpo and the Heat suffered a rough 131-106 loss.
It wasn't just another entry in the win column that Edwards got to boast about at the end of their season opener. He also joined greats like Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Anthony Davis as the only players to record a 45-point, 10-rebound game in their season opener, per ESPN Insights. Edwards joins more exclusive company as he did this twice, only joining Jordan and Chamberlain.
Anthony Edwards COULD NOT be stopped tonight in the Wolves season opener. 45 PTS, 10 REB, 16/29 FG, 9/17 3FG, 72 TS% Top 5 MVP favorite for a reason. https://t.co/kHxmhdJRur
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) October 22, 2026
To take this to a higher stratosphere of greatness, Coach Erik Spoelstra ran every defensive scheme and rotation in the book, along with the kitchen sink, to keep Edwards from getting buckets. None of it worked. Instead, Edwards scored against all eight primary defenders the Heat assigned to guard him.
Edwards boasted after the game about something special about the Timberwolves practice which led to him getting this record, via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
"If you see how we’ve been playing against each other for the past two months, then you’ll know we’re ready for physical teams. We’ve been going at each other for the last two months. It felt good to put it on somebody else," the Timberwolves star declared.
There are a lot of schemes the Timberwolves can unleash to bury a team. This season-opening performance, with Edwards playing like Jordan and Chamberlain, is just one of them. Wait until fans see Ball or Jonathan Kuminga pop off, too.
