"Only performs against old heads": Fans roast Anthony Edwards as superstar gets brutally outplayed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in clutch

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a rough start to their Western Conference finals series, falling 114-88 to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder in Game 1 on Tuesday, as a disastrous second half allowed OKC to pull away with ease.

Edwards was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, attempting just one shot and finishing with a game-low minus-23 in nearly 37 minutes, while SGA surged in the second half and led all players with a plus-22 rating. Both struggled with efficiency, each shooting under 40%, but SGA still tallied a game-high 31 points.

Fans roasted Edwards for his lackluster showing, mocking how he fell flat against a young Thunder squad after taking out seasoned rosters like the Lakers and Warriors earlier in the playoffs.

“Only performs against old heads,” one said.

“Anthony Edwards only good at eliminating old n****s from the playoffs n***a fraud,” another said.

“Ant the old man killer … OKC is young with fresh legs,” another commented.

“No offense but how was this dude a finalist for CPOTY (Clutch Player of the Year)?” another asked.

Edwards closed the night with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting and committed four turnovers. Julius Randle had a hot start, pouring in 20 points in the first half, but slowed down with just eight more to end with 28 points and eight boards. They were the Timberwolves’ only players in double figures.

“This isn’t face of the league behavior,” one fan said in criticism of Edwards.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talks about stopping Anthony Edwards

Speaking with ESPN’s Lisa Salters postgame, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shared how the Thunder managed to keep Anthony Edwards in check in the final quarter.

“You got to make him uncomfortable,” SGA said. “You got to try to get in their airspace and try to take away their strengths.”

After a sluggish opening half, the Thunder erupted in the second, outscoring Minnesota by 30 and flexing their depth, using 10 players before garbage time, all of whom made at least one field goal.

OKC’s starters delivered: Jalen Williams racked up 19 points, eight boards, five assists and five steals; Chet Holmgren added 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks; and Isaiah Hartenstein chipped in with 12 points. OKC also held the bench edge 32-26 and completely dominated in the paint, outscoring Minnesota 54-20.

Game 2 of the series stays in OKC and tips off Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.