Anthony Edwards Dedicates Timberwolves' Win to His Late Mother
The Minnesota Timberwolves were not losing that game.
Not because the San Antonio Spurs played without Victor Wembanyama after his ejection in the second quarter, or that the Timberwolves looked like the clear-and-away better team without Wembanyama on the floor.
Because Anthony Edwards would not let it happen.
Edwards led all scorers with 36 points, including 16 points in the fourth quarter, on 13-for-22 shooting from the floor (3-for-5 from three) to will the Timberwolves to a 114-109 Game 4 win over the Spurs at Target Center in Minneapolis on Sunday night. In doing so, Minnesota drew even with the Spurs at 2-2 in their Western Conference semifinals series.
“Today is Mother’s Day, so I just wanted to win for my mom,” Edwards said at the Wolves’ postgame press conference. “It was just that simple.”
Edwards added, “I couldn’t lose this game for her.”
Edwards’ mother, Yvette, died of cancer in 2015, when he was in eighth grade. His grandmother, Shirley, died of cancer eight months after he lost his mother.
The All-NBA and All-Star guard changed his jersey number from No. 1 to No. 5 in August 2023. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that Edwards wears No. 5 because his mother and grandmother each passed on the fifth of the month, and he was born on Aug. 5.
Anything Edwards does in this series against San Antonio is impressive by virtue of the fact he wasn’t expected to play in it at all.
Edwards suffered a hyperextension and bone bruise in his left knee on April 25, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Edwards would “miss multiple weeks.” Instead, he missed nine days and played in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals last Monday, May 4.
The Timberwolves will continue to need all of Edwards to pull off the upset and reach the Western Conference Finals for the third straight season. The franchise is still awaiting its first NBA Finals appearance.
Game 5 between the Wolves and Spurs is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST in San Antonio.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 11:16 AM.