Why Anthony Edwards Wanted Matchup With Jayson Tatum In OT

Anthony Edwards outdueled Jayson Tatum on Monday night, but the Timberwolves star also wanted to send a message to the Celtics.

Minnesota beat Boston, 114-109, in overtime at Target Center, and Edwards took over the final minutes. The Celtics had very few answers to defend the 22-year-old, and it highlighted larger issues about the team.

The fourth-year guard also stepped up on the defensive end, especially in overtime when he stole the ball from Tatum with the Celtics up two with less than four minutes left in the matchup.

“He got the stop on me at the end of the game. And he was talkin smack at the jump ball at overtime,” Edwards told reporters, per Dane Moore. “And I told him, ‘I’m comin again.’ Luckily, he called me up for an iso and tried to iso me, and I’m like, ‘I play defense, I just got five fouls’. So I had to show him I could play defense. But he’s a great player, one of the best players in the league, for sure.”

Edwards’ challenge on the defensive end helped solidify Minnesota as the top defense in the NBA with its defensive unit holding down the top offense in the league.

“It’s fun to watch. But (Monday) what I really liked to watch was when he took the challenge of guarding Tatum and he locked him up multiple times,” Rudy Gobert said. “To me, that’s what makes me excited. I like the shots. I like all that. But to me, that’s him taking that challenge, that’s what gets me excited and I think that’s what makes us a higher-level team.”

Tatum ended the night with 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the floor and 2-for-8 from three. Edwards scored 38 points on 15-for-25 shooting and 2-for-8 from three.

The loss gave the Celtics a reality check, and they’ll look to rebound Wednesday when they face the Philadelphia 76ers.