Timberwolves beat Golden State 107-90 in turnover-filled first game of two

SAN FRANCISCO – By most standards, Anthony Edwards was the MVP of the Timberwolves in their 107-90 victory over the Warriors.

Edwards was parading around the Chase Center, letting the crowd know how he felt about his 30-point, nine-assist night as the Wolves won their fourth consecutive game.

“Steph [Stephen Curry] was kind of hype, pumping his chest,” Edwards said. “So I couldn’t wait to get back in the game to do something to pump my chest.”He did more than a little of that, as he scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and set him Rudy Gobert (17 points, 11 rebounds) on a few lobs to turn a three-point game after three into a comfortable win.

“I got two in a row,” Gobert quipped. “I thought it was Christmas.”

But Edwards bestowed the title of MVP on another of his teammates: Jaden McDaniels.

The Wolves’ defense has undergone a resurgence since Edwards called the team out following a loss to Sacramento just before Thanksgiving. They held a fourth straight opponent under 100 points. McDaniels is a big reason for that. He held James Harden to 1-for-10 on Wednesday night in Los Angeles and he made life as difficult as possible for Curry, who had 23 points but was 6-for-17 from the floor.

“Really just being his shadow and just knowing there will be times he hits threes and deep threes and make shots,” McDaniels said. “But you just can’t get frustrated with it. Just chasing, chasing, chasing the whole game.”

But Edwards said, with a few expletives laced in, that McDaniels essentially said forget offense, he’s just going to lock up his opponent.

“He’s been phenomenal, man,” Edwards said. “I actually haven’t been giving him enough praise for what he’s been doing the last few games. So the MVP tonight was Jaden McDaniels.”

One of the issues that has dogged McDaniels (10 points) in his career has been his foul rate. He had three on Friday, an acceptable number for someone with such a large responsibility on that end of the floor. Finch said McDaniels has had his hands back, which makes it tougher for officials to identify fouls, and he’s better prepared for actions run for his man.

Wolves-Warriors box score

“His hands aren’t down and in,” Finch said. “And he’s also just kind of ready a little bit more. Ready earlier. Taking good angles and good routes on his pursuit.”

“I’ve been playing the same defense the same way,” McDaniels said. “They’re just not calling them that much no more. There’s going to be a game where I’m going to get a couple fouls early. I know it’s coming.”

To Gobert, McDaniels has made great strides in his ability to deal with frustration, whether from missed shots or foul calls.

“He’s been amazing. Just doing a lot of the dirty work out there,” Gobert said. “I’m proud of the way he really stays away from being frustrated when things happen, a bad call or his player scoring or him, whatever happens offensively for him, not let any of that affect him. It’s been great to watch him grow in that area.”

McDaniels wasn’t the only one making highlight defensive plays. Naz Reid had a big block of Draymond Green in the fourth quarter that essentially ended the game. Edwards made sure to shout that out, along with the defense of Julius Randle, who was at the locker next to Edwards as he spoke.

“You know, I’ve never seen him play defense before,” Edwads said. “That’s … incredible, and he’s right here, put the camera on him. He be guarding his [tail] off.”