Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns were named NBA Western Conference All-Stars. Edwards and Towns were named to the team as reserves via balloting by NBA head coaches. Edwards and Towns become the fifth pair of teammates to be named NBA All-Stars in the same year in Wolves history (Kevin Garnett/Tom Gugliotta, 1997; Garnett/Wally Szczerbiak, 2002; Garnett/Sam Cassell, 2004; Jimmy Butler/Towns, 2018).
For Edwards, this will be his second consecutive All-Star appearance, becoming the fourth player in Timberwolves history to be named to multiple NBA All-Star games. Towns earns his fourth All-Star nod and joins Garnett (10x) as the only players in franchise history with four or more All-Star appearances. Edwards and Towns’ appearances in this year’s All-Star Game mark the third consecutive season a Wolves player will play in the annual game (Edwards, 2023 and Towns, 2022). The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Edwards will be playing in his second NBA All-Star Game after appearing in last season’s All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. In 17:03 minutes of action for Team LeBron, he finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and four rebounds. The 6-4 guard currently leads the Timberwolves in points per game (25.5) and steals per game (1.18). Edwards is also averaging 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, on pace to become the first Minnesota player to finish a season averaging 25+ points/5+ rebounds/5+ assists.
Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has guided the Timberwolves to a 34-14 record, the best record in the Western Conference and the best start in team history since the 2003-04 season. He ranks 15th in the NBA in scoring 25.5 ppg and is second among all fourth-year players (Tyrese Maxey, 25.7 ppg). In his fourth season, he’s totaled 17 30+ point games, the most among fourth-year players (tied for 10th in the NBA). Edwards is in elite company this season as one of only seven players in NBA history aged 22 or younger to average at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. He would join Kobe Bryant, Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, Ja Morant and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to do so.
The Atlanta native scored a season-high 44 points on Dec. 28 vs. Dallas on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 from deep, four assists and a season-high-tying three steals. The performance marked his first 40+ point game of the season (seventh career). Playing in his 250th career game on Dec. 28, Edwards knocked down six shots from deep giving him 668 career three-point makes. Only Dončić (676 3PM) and Duncan Robinson (779 3PM) had more threes in their first 250 career games. Edwards’ 44 points were the most points ever scored by a player in his 250th career game.
In the Timberwolves 110-98 win at Sacramento on Dec. 23, Edwards led the way for the Timberwolves, finishing with a game-high 34 points on 13-of-27 shooting, five rebounds and a game-high-tying 10 assists, his first 30+ point/5+ rebound/10+ assist game of the season (second career). He became the third player in Timberwolves history with multiple such games, joining Garnett and Pooh Richardson.
Towns will be playing in his fourth NBA All-Star Game after appearing most recently in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland where he finished with nine points on 4-of-8 shooting and six rebounds for Team Durant. The 7-0 forward/center finished with 11 points and three rebounds in 11:08 of action for Team LeBron in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Towns scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high-tying 10 rebounds for Team Curry in the 2018 All-Star Game at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. He is the 2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest Champion and was the first frontcourt player to win the Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend after winning the contest in 2016.
He has appeared in 47 games this season (all starts) and is averaging 22.7 points on 52.2% shooting, including a career-high 44.3% from three and 8.7 rebounds per game. Towns is one of three players in the NBA this season to average 20+ points while shooting 50% or better from the field and 40% or more from three-point range (Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard).
In the Jan. 22 game against Charlotte, Towns ended the game with a career-high and franchise-record 62 points on 21-of-35 shooting, including 10-of-15 from three, 10-of-14 from the free-throw line and eight rebounds. The performance marked his second career 60+ point game (60 points; March 14, 2022, at San Antonio) and his 62 points were the most ever scored at Target Center.
Towns ended the Jan. 29 game at Oklahoma City with 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, 10 rebounds and a team-high six assists. It marked Towns’ second 20+ point/10+ rebound/5+ assist game of the season (66th career). His 67 career such games rank in Timberwolves history, behind only Garnett (230).
With Towns’ 29 points on Jan. 31 against Dallas and Edwards scoring nine points, Towns finished the month of January with 435 total points and Edwards with 420 total points, the fourth and fifth most points in a month in franchise history, respectively. January 2024 will go down as the only month in franchise history in which two players scored 400+ points.
(info courtesy of Timberwolves)
