Anthony Edwards leads rally as Timberwolves tie series after Victor Wembanyama's ejection

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksMeet KAT's Biggest FanHollinger's Top Draft ProspectsLottery Reform Is OverdueWhat Makes Up Championship DNA?NBA Playoffs Without Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves to a comeback Game 4 win. David Berding / Getty Images Share articleThe Minnesota Timberwolves only had to face Victor Wembanyama for 12 minutes Sunday. With the 7-foot-4 star’s ejection 3 1/2 minutes into the second quarter, the No. 6-seeded Timberwolves still had to rally to beat the Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs 114-109 in Game 4 at Target Center, evening this Western Conference semifinal series at 2. Anthony Edwards, playing with knee pain, started for the second straight game and finished with 36 points for the Timberwolves. Naz Reid added 15 points and nine rebounds, and he appeared to frustrate Wembanyama. Wembanyama got tossed after he swung his right elbow and hit Reid’s throat with 8:39 left in the second quarter. The Wolves led 36-34 at the time, and with Reid making both flagrant free throws, the lead grew to four. Minnesota went into halftime ahead 60-56. Minnesota had to battle back after Wembanyama departed, as it trailed 94-86 with under nine minutes left in the game. But Edwards led the way with a big fourth quarter, and the Timberwolves made the key plays down the stretch. Dylan Harper came off the bench and scored 24 points for the Spurs, who will host Game 5 on Tuesday. De’Aaron Fox added 24 points and Stephon Castle had 20 points. Here are some key takeaways from Game 4: With the Wolves franchise on his back, and the season on the line, Edwards delivered a jaw-dropping flurry of scoring to tie the series and avoid a disaster of a loss. Minnesota trailed by eight points early in the quarter and couldn’t find any answers for the feisty, Wembanyama-less Spurs defense. Playing on two bad knees, Edwards scored on a tough drive, a pull-up jumper and hit two big 3s to push the Wolves in front. His putback with just over two minutes to play gave the Wolves a four-point lead, and the Wolves held on from there. Of all of his big moments for this franchise since being drafted, this one ranks right up near the top. The Wolves were dead in the water. Had they fallen behind 3-1, there was almost no chance they could come back to win the series. Edwards stepped off the floor during a timeout to take some oxygen with four minutes to play, and breathed life into the team the rest of the way. The Wolves needed every one of his 16 fourth quarter points, and they will need a heck of a lot more from him the rest of the way in this series. The Wolves still should have major concerns, given they weren’t able to pull away with Wembanyama limited to just 12 minutes because of the ejection. But those concerns are better addressed with the series 2-2. Target Center has not seen its last basketball game of the season. Game 6 will be played because of Ant. — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms