Anthony Edwards vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Head-to-head matchup explored ahead of WCF | 2025 NBA Playoffs

The Anthony Edwards vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matchup will draw plenty of attention as the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the OKC Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Though both teams are loaded with talent, the series could very well come down to the heroics of these two sensational guards.

Edwards, who is on his fifth season with the Timberwolves, has emerged as the undisputed heart and soul of the team over the past few years. With his clutch gene and his tenacity on both ends of the floot, Ant-Man has led Minnesota to a second consecutive trip to the conference final.

Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander — the seven-year pro who has been with the Thunder since 2019 — has gone from trade piece to MVP frontrunner. Helped by teammates who contributed to OKC becoming one of the most impeccable defensive teams ever, SGA has set the league on fire with his scoring brilliance.

Anthony Edwards vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playoff numbers

In the first round of the playoffs, Edwards and his feisty Timberwolves squad were widely considered the underdogs against the third seed LA Lakers, who were led by the star tandem of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Using all the skepticism as fuel, Edwards put up 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. The Wolves ended up dispatching of the Lakers in five games.

Up next for Minnesota were the Golden State Warriors. Even as the Dubs lost Steph Curry for a huge chunk of the series, Ant-Man remained relentless, putting up 26.2 ppg on 47.5% shooting from the field (44.2% from deep).

As for SGA and the number one seed Thunder, they played the Memphis Grizzlies (one of the teams to emerge from the Play-In Tournament) in Round 1. Going up against Ja Morant, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 27.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per outing.

OKC would then be pushed to the limit as the 2023 NBA champions Denver Nuggets extended the series to seven games. SGA (who averaged 29.7 ppg on 52.9% shooting) poured in 35 points in the Thunder's blowout Game 7 victory.

Anthony Edwards vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander regular season stats

In the 2024-25 campaign, the Timberwolves and the Thunder split their season series 2-2. This could be a hint at how close the conference final will turn out to be, particularly with two scintillating shot-makers at the forefront.

Notably, Edwards put up 22.3 points per game on 36.4% shooting against the Thunder. These numbers are below his season averages of 27.6 ppg on 44.7% FG shooting.

In contrast, SGA has remained steady against the Timberwolves. In their four regular season meetings, Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 35.0 ppg on 55.6% shooting from deep. Both of these are better than his regular season norms of 32.7 ppg on 37.5% from beyond the arc.

While both teams have multiple options for guarding the opponent's starting point guard, it's likely that Edwards and Gilgeous-Alexander will embrace the challenge of defending each other. One basket — or, indeed, one stop — from either All-Star could determine which Western Conference team books a trip to the NBA Finals.