The San Antonio Spurs have the Minnesota Timberwolves on the ropes, and shutting down Anthony Edwards will be the key to advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Both the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves have elite depth on their rosters, but their second-round matchup is driven by superstars more than anything else.
Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards are both in contention to take over as the face of the NBA once LeBron James and Stephen Curry retire, and both are already the best representatives in international play for their countries.
Through five games in the Western Conference Semifinals, Wemby is averaging 20 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks. Edwardfs, meanwhile, is posting 23.6 points and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
However, the Spurs successfully slowed Ant down in Game 5, and will look to pull it off again as they seek a series-clinching Game 6 win on Friday.
How Spurs Force Edwards to Lean Into Weakness
In Game 5, the Spurs won 126-97. The Wolves, to their credit, fell early before trying things up in the third quarter, although the Spurs ran away with it in the final frame.
In the third, Edwards scored ten of his 20 points. In the fourth, the Spurs held him to just two points, going one-for-three from the floor.
Every time Edwards got the ball, he was swarmed by two of either De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Stephon Castle, or Carter Bryant. The Spurs weren't happy to see him get any shot off. Instead, the Spurs are forcing him to find the open man.
Edwards is a capable playmaker, although it is by far the worst part of his game. In the regular season, he averaged 3.7 assists per game, and in the fourth quarter of Game 5 failed to record a single dime. San Antonio probably won't mind if he finds Naz Reid or Jaden McDaniels in the corner for an open look, as long as he himself doesn't get hot.
If the Spurs want to close out the Wolves on Friday, they will need to stop Edwards from taking over. He's one of the best scorers in the league and has a solid cast around him, but no one in the Twin Cities is as dangerous with the ball in their hands as he is.
Ecpect the Spurs to swarm for the second game in a row.
