T’Wolves’ Anthony Edwards Promises More Aggressive Showing in Game 3 vs. Mavericks

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards expressed his intent to take a more aggressive approach in Game 3 hours before tip-off.

Highlights

Anthony Edwards plans to take more shots & increase his aggression for the Minnesota Timberwolves as they look to take Game 3 on the road vs. the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite shooting poorly in the first two games of the series, Edwards ranked high in scoring in the previous two playoff rounds.
The Wolves need Edwards’ best performance to avoid a 3-0 series deficit, drawing on prior comeback experience.

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards will be on a mission in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.

During the T’Wolves’ shoot around on Sunday, Edwards boldly proclaimed that he won’t be shy in looking to take more shots in their first of two road games at the American Airlines Center:

“Ya’ll going to see tonight. It’s going be a lot of shots. I’m gonna be super aggressive. I mean, I haven’t took more than 16 shots in each game, so I’mma be ultra aggressive coming out, for sure.” – Anthony Edwards

“Can I be in attack mode? Hell yeah. Yeah, for sure. I’ve been getting away from it but I’ll definitely be back to it tonight.”

Anthony Edwards’ Aggression Could Lead to Scoring Outburst in Game 3

Edwards Raised His Efficiency From the Regular Season in the First Two Rounds

Edwards took 16 shots in Game 1 and 17 in Game 2. His 16.5 shot attempts per game for the series are down from his career-high regular season average of 19.7 looks at the rim. The Georgia product increased his volume and efficiency from the field and beyond the arc in the first two rounds of the playoffs before tapering off in the Conference Finals:

Anthony Edwards’ Shooting in the 2024 NBA Playoffs
Round	FGA	PPG	FG%	3PT%
First Round	20.5 FGA	31 PPG	51.2%	43.8%
WCSF	20.3 FGA	27.7 PPG	50%	37.3%
WCF	16.5	20 PPG	33.3%	36.8%

Edwards ranked No. 4 among all playoff scorers in the Quarterfinals and No. 5 in the Conference Semifinals. His shooting splits in both previous series prove that he can give Minnesota the boost they need while not shooting them out of the game, particularly if he finds a hot hand early.

The former No. 1 overall pick will be tasked with overcoming the effective defensive strategies that Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has used to neutralize him thus far.

The Wolves will need their franchise player at his best to avoid a 3-0 series hole that no team has ever come back from in the NBA history. Moreover, only five teams have ever come back from an 0-2 deficit after dropping both games at home. The Denver Nuggets almost did so against Edwards’ T’Wovles in the Western Conference Semifinals, so he and his teammates can channel that experience for their benefit starting on Sunday night.