Anthony Edwards Turns Jaylen Brown’s “Too Small” Taunt Into 39 Points

Anthony Edwards showed how trash talk can fire up a player. On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Boston Celtics 119-115. Edwards scored 39 points and led his team to a big win, fueled in part by a comment from Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

Early in the game, Brown scored 19 points in the first quarter and 27 by halftime. After making a fadeaway over Edwards, Brown flashed a “too small” gesture on defense. That caught Edwards’ attention. “That might have been the luckiest shot ever… he kind of woke me up after telling me I was too small,” Edwards said after the game.

Anthony Edwards responded in a big way. He shot 12-of-24 overall, including 5-of-11 from three and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also added two rebounds and five assists. Brown tried to keep up with 41 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and five steals, but Boston still fell short.

Talking about the moment later, Anthony Edwards laughed. He said, ‘that’s not luck, that’s hard work.’ I was like yeah, let me find somebody that works on shooting a fade-away from the elbow going off the glass.

The first half was mostly Boston. Along with Brown, Neemias Queta scored 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, helping the Celtics lead 69-59 at halftime. Minnesota struggled to match Boston’s strength and looked like they might fall behind.

Anthony Edwards changed the game in the fourth quarter. He scored 14 points, played tough defense on Brown, and hit key shots. His off-balance three-pointer late in the game gave Minnesota a two-possession lead and thrilled the fans at Target Center.

Brown still had a historic night. He scored 41 points on 17-of-32 shooting, with seven assists, six rebounds, five steals, and a block. He became only the second Celtic, after Larry Bird, to score 40+ points while also recording at least five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. He also set a team record for scoring 41 points with seven rebounds, seven assists, and five steals.

Even with back spasms, Brown kept Boston in the game, hitting a season-high five three-pointers. He has now scored 33 or more points in three straight games and is averaging 28.4 points per game in November.

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