Anthony Edwards explodes for nine triples as Timberwolves rout Portland

Anthony Edwards is on a record-setting tear from distance to open the 2024-25 campaign.

After drilling nine 3-pointers en route to a 37-point showing in Minnesota’s 127-102 rout of Portland on Friday at Target Center, the superstar guard is averaging 5.6 triples a game.

The highest per-game average for Steph Curry — the greatest shooter the sport has ever seen — was 5.3.

If Edwards maintained his current pace and played all 82 games, he’d break Curry’s current NBA record for 3s in a season (402) by more than 50.

Edwards is dominating games from the perimeter with jarring volume and efficiency. He’s 50 for 104 this season from deep, good for 48%.

“I’m feeling great,” Edwards said in his postgame, on-court television interview. “If they’re going to keep going under (on screens against me), I’m going to take the 3s all night.”

Is Edwards’ current 3-point pace sustainable? Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said that’s something for the media to ponder, but he didn’t see any reason why the guard couldn’t knock down at least four deep balls a game, which greatly benefits the Wolves’ offense as a whole.

“It makes the floor huge. And he’s got great range, he’s taking them in the flow of the offense. He’s reading the coverage of the pick and roll really well right now,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “He’s playing at a high level. His catch-and-shoot is off quick, and it’s adding not just a lot of 3s but a lot of efficient offense.”

Edwards is leading the charge on Minnesota’s 3-point revolution. That the Wolves are draining triples at a high rate on an nightly basis is no longer news, but a reality of who they are. The Wolves will be one of the highest-volume 3-point shooting teams this season. They will hit a high number of those attempts.

They poured in 22 triples on 50 attempts Friday.

The 3-point shooting was a piece of another massive offensive explosion on Friday. One night after the Wolves erupted for 45 points in the final frame in Chicago, Minnesota had a stretch spanning the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter against Portland where it scored on 13 of 14 possessions to blow the game wide open.

Edwards finished with 37 points, six rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes. He didn’t touch the floor in the final frame with the game already decided. Julius Randle had 22 points and six rebounds. Rudy Gobert tallied 15 rebounds.

As a team, Minnesota shot 49% from the field.

But, unlike on Thursday in Chicago, that offensive explosion didn’t need to save Minnesota (6-3). Rather, it occurred alongside a significantly better defensive effort than what the Wolves put forth against Chicago.

Finch said the Wolves discussed the need to improve their start-of-game defense. Message received. Minnesota forced Portland (3-7) to miss its first 10 shots of the game, and never looked back.

“It was a big emphasis coming out and establishing ourselves defensively,” Finch said.

No Blazers player scored more than 16 points. Portland shot 43% from the field and a paltry 6 of 24 from distance.

The Blazers never seriously threatened Minnesota on Friday. Even when Portland went on a run to pull within single digits in the second quarter, the push was — fittingly — quelled by a couple Edwards’ triples.

Minnesota hosts Miami on Sunday.

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