Anthony Edwards had a night to forget during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 120-106 blowout road loss to the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The superstar wing mustered just 2 made field goals on 15 tries. Meanwhile, Edwards was thoroughly outplayed by Lakers superstar guard Luka Dončić as the Timberwolves faced scrutiny for their “disappointing” effort against one of their top Western Conference rivals.
Anthony Edwards’ Rough Shooting Night Against Lakers Sparks Fierce Criticism
With the West’s fourth seed up for grabs, Minnesota had a prime opportunity to capitalize on James’ continued absence due to hip and foot injuries and gain separation in the jam-packed standings. Instead, both teams struggled offensively in the first half, entering the break knotted up at 45-45.
Edwards shot just 1-for-10 before halftime (10%), missing all six of his 3-point attempts en route to just 3 points. The four-time All-Star didn’t fare much better after the break, either, going only 1-for-5 (20%), including 1-for-4 from deep (25%), doing most of his damage at the free-throw line.
The Lakers pulled away in the second half behind a valiant defensive effort and a combined 48 points from Dončić and his co-star Austin Reaves. The latter scored 29 of his 31 points after the break, completing a remarkable midgame turnaround.
As for Dončić, he recorded his seventh triple-double of the season, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists as LA swept its regular-season series against the Timberwolves 3-0, raising concerns on X.
“[Minnesota coach Chris] Finch pulls the starters with 3:55 to play and a game tomorrow against the [Los Angeles] Clippers. I think this was probably the most disappointing performance of their season,” Timberwolves insider Jon Krawczynski contended.
Finch pulls the starters with 3:55 to play and a game tomorrow against the Clippers. I think this was probably the most disappointing performance of their season.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) March 11, 2026
“Anthony Edwards with arguably the worst half of basketball I’ve seen him play,” The Daily Wolves asserted.
Anthony Edwards with arguably the worst half of basketball i’ve seen him play.
— The Daily Wolves (@TheDailyWolves) March 11, 2026
“Including playoffs, tonight was the 385th game of Anthony Edwards’ career where he attempted at least 15 field goals, and the 13.3% that he shot (2/15 FGs) was the lowest field-goal percentage by Edwards in those games of his career,” The Athletic’s Law Murray pointed out.
Including playoffs
Tonight was the 385th game of Anthony Edwards’ career where he attempted at least 15 field goals
And the 13.3% that he shot (2/15 FGs) was the lowest field goal percentage by Edwards in those games of his career.
— Law Murray 🕯️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) March 11, 2026
“A bad one for the Wolves. Nothing on offense the entire night, and then the defense collapsed after halftime,” Timberwolves writer Charlie Walton wrote.
FINAL: Lakers 120, Wolves 106
A bad one for the Wolves. Nothing on offense the entire night, and then the defense collapsed after halftime. Julius Randle: 14/7/2 on 5-11 FGs. Anthony Edwards: 14p on 2-15 FGs, 9-10 FTs.
Record: 40-25 (5th in West)
Next up: @ Clippers, tomorrow— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) March 11, 2026
Additionally, multiple prominent Lakers-related accounts relished the lopsided affair against an upper-echelon opponent.
“Lakers held Anthony Edwards to 2/15 shooting today 🤯,” Lakers Daily reacted.
Lakers held Anthony Edwards to 2/15 shooting today 🤯
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) March 11, 2026
“Luka Dončić has mentally BROKEN Anthony Edwards,” PurpGold claimed, attaching a video of Edwards looking demoralized by one of the six-time All-Star’s baskets.
Luka Doncic has mentally BROKEN Anthony Edwards
— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅 🏆 (@PurpGolded) March 11, 2026
With their third straight victory, the Lakers (40-25) matched the Timberwolves’ record (40-25), claiming the fourth seed via their tiebreaker. They also improved to 10-2 when Dončić and Reaves both suit up without James, fueling questions about the four-time MVP’s fit in LA.
Conversely, Minnesota has dropped two straight contests to fall within two games of a play-in spot after making back-to-back West finals appearances over the past two years.
