There’s the top 10 player in the world. Anthony Edwards hasn’t been that for much of this season, and it’s played a large role in the Timberwolves’ looking very mediocre through the first 34 games of the season. The 23 year old struggled mightily in the first quarter again on Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers, over dribbling, turning the ball over and taking bad shots. And the Wolves looked horrendous. Over the final three frames, Edwards looked every bit like the man who played a massive role in Minnesota reaching the Western Conference finals. He finished with 37 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Minnesota emerged with a 108-106 victory over Los Angeles at Target Center to snap a three-game losing streak. The ending was far more dramatic than it needed to be, with the Clippers’ intentionally missed free throw ping ponging around a number of hands, but eventually Minnesota finally grabbed a rebound that proved so elusive in the closing seconds to seal the deal. Edwards burying a triple over two defenders to put Minnesota up five in the final minute was the crescendo of his showing, but it hardly told the story. It was a second quarter in which Edwards moved the ball and used his gravity to generate for others that seemingly turned the tide. Minnesota — which trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half — scored 10 points in a three minute stretch in the second frame in which the guard was on the floor but didn’t take a single shot. Edwards tallied three assists in the second quarter as Minnesota climbed to within seven. Those minutes seemingly activated his teammates, as Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels all got going. But it may have done the same for Edwards. Because he was a hyper-aggressive version of himself in the second half. The guard scored 28 points over the final two frames. Many of those attempts came within the rhythm of the offense. That’s understanding the cadence of a game, something Mike Conley has discussed often with his teammate. “I’ve been a part of times where I’ve had to defer and pass for the first quarter and a half, and then the second half is like go time – go shoot it five times, six times in a row, whatever it is to get into a rhythm,” Conley said. “But get your guys going first. See if we can get stuff going. It doesn’t mean don’t shoot it, but shoot the ones that are available, open, good for you. No reason to force anything early. Get guys involved, like he did. We’ve got a great roster around him, and take advantage of it.” A number of Edwards’ buckets in the second half also came in the paint off of drives in which the guard attacked the rack, even on times when the Clippers had help in place. Edwards has such force and craft that often doesn’t matter so long as he’s playing decisive basketball. “What we’ve been talking to him about is taking the advantage right away. When you see somebody, don’t wait (and) let the double team come to you,” Conley said. “Go earlier. Reject a couple screens. Come off and shoot it right away. Whatever it is he needs to do to get into a rhythm, he needs to get used to doing that. Because the more he sits there and tries to dissect it and look at it, the slower he becomes and the more pressure it is on him with those guys defending him.” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch changed the starting lineup Monday, inserting Donte DiVincenzo for Conley. The closing lineups to both halves didn’t include Julius Randle. It was the most Finch has shuffled the deck this season, but Monday was a distinct reminder that whoever is on the floor, if Edwards plays like Edwards, Minnesota can play competitive basketball, regardless of who else is on the floor. Spacing, teammates, whatever. Edwards is good enough to ascend above all of it. It seems as though he’s finally starting to understand as much. “I think after his comments (about not wanting to just pass) the other day, he’s pretty self-aware sometimes,” Finch said. “He came into practice (Friday) and just said, ‘I gotta be myself. I’m letting this get to me too much. I have to get back to the joy of the game and being aggressive and not worrying about what the defense might or might not do.’ Reality is he’s good enough to be able to handle it all. You gotta sift through it all as it comes at you. It’s a sign of mental toughness is what it is. He had gotten to a point where he knew he need to course correct.” Los Angeles Clippers guard Amir Coffey (7) celebrates his dunk against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)