Anthony Edwards, one of the leading scorers this season, is all praise for LeBron James ahead of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Third-seeded Lakers will face the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference. Both teams are stacked with talent, but the Lakers have LeBron James’ experience on their side. LeBron played his first playoffs game in 2006 when Anthony Edwards was just four years old. Now the duo clash for an interesting playoffs series.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ star player was asked about his thoughts on facing LeBron James. Anthony Edwards was full of praise for the 40-year-old and said, “It means a lot to be matched up against him. Probably goes down as the greatest player to ever play basketball. Trying to put him out of the playoffs under my belt is going to be a tough one.”
The Lakers and Timberwolves play their first game of the NBA playoffs on Saturday. However, it remains unclear if LeBron James will make it in time for the fixture. In a recent practice session, the point guard was seen wearing a sleeve on his left leg. James exited midway through the game against the Houston Rockets. The knee issue has been recurring for the star.
However, the fans are expected to witness the LeBron James vs Anthony Edwards matchup at some point in the series if not in the first game. The Los Angeles Lakers have the home court advantage due to them finishing higher than Minnesota Timberwolves. The first two games of the series will be played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Anthony Edwards vs LeBron for the First Time in Playoffs
Both LeBron James and Anthony Edwards will be crucial for their respective teams in the first round. A lot will depend on both to make things work. Anthony Edwards is known to take teams out of the play through his athleticism-driven play. However, his record against the Lakers has been far from impressive.
The 23-year-old has faced Los Angeles in 13 games and has been able to win only four times. However, in the 2024-25 regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers both won two games. This will also be the first time that Anthony Edwards faces the Lakers in a playoffs series.
He will also be looking to settle scores with Luka Doncic, who was a key force in blocking the Timberwolves’ NBA Finals path. Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals by a dominating 4-1 margin. Having missed the Finals once, Edwards knows he can’t afford to miss the mark again. With the kind of spectacular season that Edwards is having, anything can happen in this series. Anthony Edwards has been averaging 27.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG.
