Anthony Edwards is the best player on the Timberwolves. The playoff run has illuminated that time and time again as Edwards has put the state of Minnesota on his back and taken it to places it hasn’t been in 20 years. He’s the heartbeat of the team, the lifeblood of the operation, the straw that stirs the drink.

Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, he wasn’t any of those things in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night at Target Center, and they suffered a deflating 108-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks as a result.

It wasn’t a horrible game for Edwards simply by looking at the box score. He finished with 19 points on 6 of 16 shooting while leading the team with 11 rebounds. He also got his teammates involved throughout the game by making the right play on the perimeter.

That said, Edwards should be held to a higher standard as he continues to ascend in his career. He wasn’t nearly aggressive enough with the ball in his hands throughout the game, routinely settling for jumpers rather than attacking the basket. He also struggled at times to stop penetration on the other end.

If the Timberwolves are going to bounce back in this series, Edwards has to be better. He’s their best player They need him to play like it.

On the flip side, Luka Doncic was tremendous for the Mavericks, doing everything a superstar is supposed to do when the lights are bright. He finished with 33 points on 12 of 26 shooting, and most notably, took over down the stretch with 15 points in the final frame.

In a lot of ways, Doncic was everything Edwards wasn’t across 48 minutes, and that proved to be the difference in the game.

As much as he seemed to be fighting it throughout the game, Edwards made arguably his biggest blunder before halftime.

With the Timberwolves in position to take what should’ve been the final possession, Edwards sailed a pass over the head of Mike Conley, gifting the Mavericks an extra possession. A few seconds later, Kyrie Irving converted a tough layup on the other end, got fouled in the process, and knocked down the free throw for good measure.

It was the latest example of the Timberwolves imploding amid a pivotal stretch before halftime.

The bad vibes from that mistake by Edwards carried over after halftime as he never truly got into a rhythm. There were times when he passed when he probably should’ve shot and times he shot when he probably should’ve passed. Though he still made a couple of big shots toward the end of the game, it wasn’t enough to lead the Timberwolves to a win.

Now if Edwards has proven anything over the past month it’s that he’s more than up for the challenge. He said he will be better in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night at Target Center and he deserves the benefit of the doubt given his resume to this point.

That doesn’t make up for the fact that the Timberwolves wasted an opportunity to take control against the Mavericks.

Luckily for Edwards, this is a heavyweight fight that will likely go the distance, meaning he will have many more chances to punch back. It seems like a pretty good bet that he will do exactly that.

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