Anthony Edwards says it’s very hard to slow down the Oklahoma City Thunder because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets a lot of calls. After the Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-97 on Saturday night, Edwards threw some shade at Gilgeous-Alexander when asked what the key was to slowing them down.
“It’s hard to with the calls that Shai gets. It’s hard to shut them down. You can’t touch him any time of the game. It’s super hard to beat. That team is a good team, especially when they’re getting calls like that.”
Asked Anthony Edwards what's the key to slowing down OKC: "It’s hard to with the calls that Shai gets. It’s hard to shut them down. You can’t touch him any time of the game. It’s super hard to beat. That team is a good team, especially when they’re getting calls like that."
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 21, 2024
Gilgeous-Alexander went 12-13 from the line in the game to finish with 33 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals as the Thunder improved to 29-13. The 25-year-old certainly does get a favorable whistle, as he is averaging 8.9 free throw attempts per game this season, which ranks third in the NBA.
Only Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo are ahead of him, and that was the case last season, too. These three are great at drawing fouls, and it does become a source of frustration for their opponents. The timing of these comments from Edwards wasn’t ideal, however.
Anthony Edwards Missed Free Throws With A Chance To Tie The Game
The Timberwolves seemed to be on course for a fifth straight win when they went up 85-74 with just over 11 minutes left in this game. They then proceeded to squander that lead and found themselves down 100-97 with 6.1 seconds remaining. Edwards then got fouled on a three-pointer and got a chance to tie things up but missed all three.
The last miss was intentional, of course, but to complain about free throws when you miss them in the clutch isn’t a good look. These misses meant Edwards was 6-10 from the line on the night, so Gilgeous-Alexander actually only got three more free throws than he did.
Also, rather interestingly, in the three games between these teams this season, Edwards has shot 29 free throws while Shai has shot 26. So, to say that Gilgeous-Alexander gets all these calls when they play might not be all that fair, considering he gets them, too.
You get that the 22-year-old might just have been frustrated by the fact that they had blown a double-digit fourth-quarter lead. Edwards also didn’t have a great game, finishing with just 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists as the Timberwolves dropped to 30-12.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Case Is Getting Stronger
Gilgeous-Alexander is now averaging 31.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game this season. While some may complain about the free throws, the fact is he’s been very impressive and with the Thunder winning at this great rate, his MVP case keeps getting stronger.
If OKC, who are just one game behind Minnesota in the standings, can get that top seed in the Western Conference, then Gilgeous-Alexander would have a very strong argument for the award. As of now, the likes of Embiid and even Nikola Jokic are ahead of him, but the former might end up not even being eligible for the award, because of the 65-game requirement.
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