Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves takes off his finger on a dunk poster of John Collins of the Jazz

By John Krawczynski, Shams Charania, and Alex Andreev

The impressive poster of Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards dunking on Utah Jazz forward John Collins on Monday was so emphatic that it left both players injured.

Edwards, in a post-match interview with Bally Sports North, said he dislocated a finger on his left hand. Collins, on the receiving end of a dunk, left with a head bruise after hitting the grand slam, league sources said. Collins did not suffer a concussion.

The highlight-worthy moment occurred with Minnesota trailing by one point in the third quarter. With the ball pushed to Edwards, he picked it up, dribbled down the court and passed it to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who then fed the ball to Edwards in the lane. Edwards then proceeded to land a potential knockout of the year on the 6-foot-9 Collins.

After Edwards' touchdown, he appeared to hold up his finger as his teammates surrounded him to celebrate.

Minnesota went on to win 114-104, with Edwards scoring a game-high 32 points.

Æ5. Salah. 🐜 pic.twitter.com/7qtk0Cm6tg

– Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 19, 2024

Edwards dunk history

Edwards is no stranger to soaring at high altitudes. Since his rookie season, when he sparked an avalanche on Yuta Watanabe in Toronto, he quickly became known as one of the league's most violent players in the game. Alperen Şengün, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen McDaniels and Jalen Duren are just a few of the defenders who have felt his wrath over the years. Arguably his best throw was one that didn't technically count when he dropped Miami's Gabe Vincent in his sophomore season and was called for an offensive foul.

This event for Collins was poignant in more ways than one. The Wolves were down when Edwards stepped up, and couldn't get going offensively without injured Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid, who did not play in the second half due to a head injury. The Wolves outscored the Jazz 49-38 the rest of the way to earn a much-needed win.

Collins did not return to the game after the dunk, as Edwards' hand inadvertently hit Collins in the head.

The dunk got Edwards going, too. He scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half to put the Wolves' offense on his back. – John Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer

We'll just leave this here. pic.twitter.com/Uak7YZzJIt

– Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 19, 2024

“It's Wolverine.”

When Edwards threw the dunk down, he stopped and looked at his left hand. His teammates also glanced at his finger and were wide-eyed as Edwards quickly went to the locker room to attract attention. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called a timeout to buy some time because Edwards needed to hit a free throw after being fouled on a dunk. If he doesn't shoot the free throw, he won't be able to get back into the game.

Edwards came back with the fingers on his left hand taped together, looking no worse for the wear. This followed a pattern for the 22-year-old star. He was famous for sustaining injuries that at first glance seemed very serious. But after a quick trip to the locker room, he returned to play with little sign of being hurt.

“He's a Wolverine,” said Justin Holland, Edwards' manager. – Krawczynski

All angles. 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/Vld2F0ifHG

– Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 19, 2024

The Big Picture

Could a performance like this put Edwards in the conversation for the All-NBA First Team? Four of the spots appear to be pretty much a lock with Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all being front-runners for the honors.

Boston's Jayson Tatum is expected to receive strong consideration for the fifth and final spot, given that he is the best player on the Boston Celtics, a team that has been by far the best this season. But if Edwards continues to produce games like this to keep the Timberwolves in contention for the top seed in the Western Conference with both Towns and Gobert out, he will make a compelling case.

He's making a big push for it. In his last 14 games, he is averaging 29.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. He averaged 31 points and 7.2 rebounds in the five games Towns missed before the win over Utah. Thus, the Wolves (47-21) tied with Denver for second place in the West, just half a game behind Oklahoma City. – Krawczynski

Required reading

(Photo: Alex Goodlett/Getty)