Anthony Edwards didn’t hold back when addressing his on-court clash with Dillon Brooks. After leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 127-114 victory over the Houston Rockets, Edwards made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of Brooks’ tactics.
“Everybody know how Dillon Brooks is, man. He play dirty,” Edwards said, per Jon Krawczynski. The Timberwolves star added that Brooks hit him in the face and dismissed his reaction by saying, “How much crying you gonna do?”
Edwards acknowledged Brooks’ competitive nature but took issue with what he saw as unsportsmanlike behavior. “I love the competing part, but all the little slick little dirty sh*t … We can compete all day. We can talk shit all day. But when you get to doing that, it’s more than basketball at that point,” he stated.
The two players had to be separated by officials in the second quarter after tensions escalated. Despite the heated moment, Edwards responded with a dominant performance, dropping 41 points while adding seven rebounds and six assists.
Minnesota trailed by six points heading into the fourth quarter before outscoring Houston 35-16 in the final period. Rudy Gobert sparked the comeback with consecutive dunks before Edwards took over, hitting three crucial three-pointers down the stretch.
Jaylen Clark provided a spark off the bench, scoring a career-high 17 points while shooting 4-for-6 from deep. Naz Reid contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds, while veteran guard Mike Conley chipped in 16 points and five assists.
The Rockets, who had been one of the best road teams in the league, suffered their fifth consecutive loss. Jalen Green led Houston with 28 points but struggled from the field, shooting 9-for-22. Alperen Sengun finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while rookie Cam Whitmore added 16 points off the bench.
Minnesota’s defense tightened in the fourth quarter, holding Houston to just 6-for-19 shooting while forcing key turnovers. The Timberwolves also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Rockets 47-39 despite Houston ranking as the NBA’s top rebounding team.
With the win, the Timberwolves improved to 29-23, while the Rockets dropped to 24-28.
