The Minnesota Timberwolves took down the LA Clippers 109-104 in the first game of the Western Conference side of the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. Despite the struggles of Karl-Anthony Towns, the Wolves used a 31-20 4th quarter advantage to take down LA.

It was the guards for the Timberwolves who led the way to victory. Second-year guard Anthony Edwards led the team in scoring, dropping 30 points in his play-in debut. D’Angelo Russell scored 29 points while Patrick Beverley chipped in a gritty 7-point, 11 rebound performance.

Edwards feels he could take advantage of the LA Clippers’ defense because they were afraid to guard him, saying as much after the game.

“I took what the game gave me,” said Edwards, who will play in his first playoff series later this week. “And [shots at the rim are] what they gave me. They were scared to guard me, and I took advantage of that.”

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Russell took the lead for Minnesota in the fourth quarter with a deep three-pointer. Anthony Edwards followed with a thunderous dunk to give the Wolves a two-possession advantage with four minutes to go.

Edwards scored eight of the Wolves’ final 12 points in the closing minutes, stepping up in the absence of Towns, who fouled out with more than seven minutes remaining as the Wolves faced a seven-point deficit.

The performance from Edwards (and confidence evident in his post-game quote) is a good sign moving forward for Minnesota. The Timberwolves are undoubtedly expecting better performances from Towns moving forward in the playoffs. Still, it’s reassuring for Minnesota to know that they can win without a good game from their superstar big.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves will play the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs starting later this week. Brimming with confidence, Anthony Edwards will need to keep playing well to give Minnesota a chance to pull the first-round upset.