Anthony Edwards Says Watching From the Sideline Gave Him a Blueprint

The Minnesota Timberwolves got their guy back on Monday night, and it showed right away.

Anthony Edwards returned from a six-game absence due to right knee inflammation and helped Minnesota roll over the Dallas Mavericks 124-94 at American Airlines Center, pushing the Timberwolves to 46-29 on the season and into sole possession of fifth place in the Western Conference.

Edwards played 23 minutes on a restriction and put up 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting with two threes and a pair of dunks mixed in.

It was a typical Ant performance in the sense that he looked comfortable from the jump, even if the start of his night was anything but typical after he missed the opening tip due to a bathroom break.

But the most interesting part of Edwards' night came in his postgame comments, where he talked about what sitting out those six games did for him and how it shifted his perspective heading into the postseason.

"I was just telling Mike like should I talk about this Mike or I'm giving away the blueprint?" Edwards said. "Just like watching the game from a distance, you start to see what the team missing, what's like what's wrong and like internally and the problems. So I think I needed that especially going to the playoffs to see like what we needed. So yeah, it was big fun."

That kind of self-awareness from a 24-year-old superstar who is averaging a career-high 29.5 points per game this season is not something you see every day.

Edwards has been carrying a heavy load all year and his willingness to acknowledge that stepping back gave him clarity shows real maturity.

The Timberwolves went 4-2 without him, but there is no question this team is a completely different animal when he is on the court.

While Edwards grabbed the headlines, it was the rest of the roster that set the tone against Dallas.

Ayo Dosunmu was sensational in his own return from a calf injury, recording 18 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for his first triple-double since being traded to Minnesota from Chicago at the deadline.

Julius Randle led all scorers with 24 points in his hometown of Dallas, and Donte DiVincenzo knocked down five threes while Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Seven Timberwolves finished in double figures on a night where Edwards' absence earlier in the month had forced the team to learn how to win without him, and those lessons carried over even with him back in the lineup.

Head coach Chris Finch praised Edwards' defense and decision-making, noting that he let the game come to him and made quicker reads than he had before the injury.

The Mavericks fell to 24-51 and have dropped 25 of their last 30 games.

Dallas was shorthanded without Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington among others, but for Minnesota this game was always about getting Edwards back on track with the postseason right around the corner.

Edwards still needs to play in all seven of Minnesota's remaining games to hit the 65-game threshold for All-NBA eligibility, and Finch has not ruled out playing him on back-to-back nights.

The knee issue doesn't appear to be a long-term concern, and Monday was encouraging.

Minnesota heads to Detroit on Thursday to face the East-leading Pistons, and if the Timberwolves can carry the energy and balance from Monday into that one, they will like their chances heading into the postseason.