Already in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves, a potential back-and-forth rivalry between Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards brewed on both ends of the court on Saturday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the 120-95 T’Wolves win over the Suns, basketball X (formerly Twitter) account Hoop Central captured Edwards trash-talking directly at Durant. As the 22-year-old was jawing at the Suns veteran, Durant can be seen smiling and seemed unbothered.
Anthony Edwards x Kevin Durant…This is great. 😂
(h/t @cjzero)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 20, 2024
When responding to the duel they had throughout the game, Durant didn’t shy away from responding and gave Edwards credit for his scoring ability.
“It’s just basketball… You get hot, you make shots, you make tough shots, you’re going to feel excited about yourself,” Durant said. “It’s on me to keep coming back, showing him a tough look or whoever is defending these guys and giving them a tough look. If they make shots over us, we move on to the next play. He got it going, he made some tough ones. We just got to live with it and get ready for the next game.”
Edwards scored 33 points to guide Minnesota to the win despite Durant posting 31 points from 11-of-17 (52.3%) shooting. As a whole, the Timberwolves had five players with double-digits: Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns (19), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (18), Rudy Gobert (14) and Naz Reid (12).
The Timberwolves were making the Suns pay as they led in rebounds 52-28 and outscored Phoenix in the paint, 52-34.
“I just think they put the ball in his [Edwards’] hands and let him dribble up the court,” Durant said. “When you let him dribble up the court, he gets into his rhythm. You see him make a couple of tough ones and he gained confidence. He has always had confidence as a player… It’s a make-or-miss league, you gotta make shots if you wanna win.”
For Game 2, Kevin Durant and Phoenix will run it back as they clash against Minnesota on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. PT. The Timberwolves lead the playoff series, 1-0.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
