Anthony Edwards went absolutely nuclear for 45 points last night, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 131-106 blowout win over the Miami Heat, and you know what lit the fuse? Some wild trash talk from the Heat bench, apparently.
The “Pretty Crazy” Spark That Ignited Ant
You ever see a player get so locked in by an opponent’s mouth that they just explode? That is exactly what happened on Wednesday. Edwards told reporters after the game that a player on Miami’s bench was “talking pretty crazy” during a dead-ball situation. He said it “kind of crunk me up.”
Word on the street, or at least the indication from the *Miami Herald*’s Anthony Chiang, is that the silent trash talker was Myron Gardner. Dude is a second-year reserve, undrafted out of Little Rock in 2023, spent a couple seasons in the G League, and just signed a standard three-year contract back in February. Gardner played a whopping three minutes last night.
And here is the kicker: when Edwards started talking back, Gardner went quiet. Edwards was NOT having it. He said, “When I start talking to him, he didn’t really have too much more to say. I don’t really like that. If you gonna talk s–t, keep talking s–t. Don’t get quiet. I think that was pretty much the reason why I was super intense tonight.” Miami did not even make Gardner available to the media on Thursday. Probably a good call.
Ant’s Historic Response: 45 Points, 10 Boards
So, how did Ant respond to this “pretty crazy” talk? Oh, you know, just by dropping a casual 45 points. He shot 16-of-29 from the field, absolutely lights out with 9-of-17 from beyond the arc. And if that was not enough, he pulled down 10 rebounds. All in just 33 minutes, people! Thirty-three minutes!
This was not just a big night, this was a *historic* night. Edwards now stands alongside Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history with multiple 40-point games in a season opener for their team. Remember last year? He went for 41 in a 118-114 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. The man comes out of the gate firing every season.
And get this, his incredible performance totally overshadowed Giannis Antetokounmpo’s debut for the Heat. Giannis, who Miami acquired in an offseason trade from the Milwaukee Bucks, probably did not envision his first game looking like this. You gotta love it.
Talk about a masterclass in motivation. If any team out there thinks they can get under Anthony Edwards’ skin with some chirping from the bench, they might want to rethink that strategy. Last night proved it just turns him into a cheat code. This dude is playing with a fire that is hard to contain, and if this is how he starts the season, everyone else in the league better take notice. You mess with Ant, you get the buckets.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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