The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to outlast the Portland Trail Blazers on the road Tuesday night, 124-121. Below are my takeaways from the game, which was the second feature of Peacock’s Coast 2 Coast coverage. 

It was not an efficient shooting night for Anthony Edwards, but he did not let it stop him from remaining aggressive while leading his team to victory.  

Edwards finished with a game high 34 points on 40.7% shooting from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. Down the stretch, Edwards provided a clutch 25-foot 3-pointer with 01:23 remaining to give the Timberwolves a 118-111 lead. In the waning seconds, he buried two free throws to reestablish a seven-point lead for his team and widen the gap just enough for Minnesota to escape with a win. 

Tuesday’s win marked the sixth time this month Edwards has notched 30 or more points, and he continues to have a career scoring season — averaging 29.5 points per game on 49.5% shooting from the field and 40% from the perimeter. 

Moving right alongside Edwards and providing plenty of help on the offensive end was forward Jaden McDaniels, who easily put together the best performance of anyone on the floor. 

McDaniels was a two-way force to be reckoned with. In just over 37 minutes, he notched 29 points on a 75% shooting clip (83.3% from 3-point range) to go along with five blocks and three steals. Portland simply had no answer for him as a defensive blockade or offensive threat.  

Like Edwards, McDaniels continued to make plays when it mattered most. He scored four points with a little over a minute left in the game, which included an emphatic dunk and a game-sealing layup with two seconds left to keep Portland at bay for good. It was McDaniels’ second 29-point effort in February, and his third 20-plus point performance of the month.  

Anyone who has watched Rudy Gobert play basketball can understand that he does not need to score to be effective. However, that did not stop him from adding 10 points to go with 19 rebounds in the win over Portland.  

Seven of Gobert’s rebounds came on the offensive end, which was incredibly vital given how close the score was at the final buzzer. He also logged four assists, two blocks and a steal in under 36 minutes of play. In his 13th NBA season and fourth with Minnesota, Gobert is averaging 11.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. 

With the first game of a back-to-back in the bag, the Timberwolves will make their way south to Los Angeles to face the Clippers for a 9 p.m. CST tipoff on Wednesday.