WATCH: Anthony Edwards goes back and forth with Lakers fans in Los Angeles

Anthony Edwards had a tough evening in LA on Sunday, and heckling Lakers fans let him know about it. The former No. 1 pick had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but he shot only 43.5%, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range. Edwards couldn't get the T'Wolves over the hump in the fourth with only four points as they lost 120-109 against the ninth-placed Lakers.

Edwards took the loss but not the slander from the opposing team's fanbase outside the Crypto.com Arena. After hecklers got to him, Edwards retaliated with a savage response, saying:

"Y'all lucky I didn't bust y'all a**"

Edwards has earned a reputation as one of the best trash-talkers in the NBA. The 22-year-old has no hesitation in starting a conversation or going back and forth on or off the court.

However, there wasn't much room for Edwards to win the war of words after losing the game. The Timberwolves were shorthanded and needed a big game from their stars with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns on the sidelines.

Anthony Edwards did match his season averages, but that wasn't enough against a near-healthy Lakers team.

---

Anthony Edwards and T'Wolves could face Lakers in first round

The Western Conference is wide open with teams 1-10 all having the potential to go on a title run. The Timberwolves lead the pack with the best record in the conference. However, that's only guaranteeing homecourt, not a favorable matchup. Minnesota could face the LA Lakers in the first round, one of the few teams that can match their size and physicality.

The Lakers are ninth in the conference with a 36-30 record. They will likely be in the play-in tournament, qualifying as a seventh or eighth seed. The Lakers are coming off an NBA In-Season Tournament win after a 2023 conference finals run despite starting the year 2-10.

39-year-old LeBron James displays he still has it in him to turn the switch on come crunch time and that's an issue for teams in the upper half of the table. Despite LA's up-and-down season, many teams wouldn't be comfortable playing them in the playoffs.

As good as Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves have been, they are among those. The Timberwolves lack the experience in the playoffs. They don't have a series win with this group after falling short in the first round in two consecutive years.

However, their chemistry with the twin-tower pairing of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns seems much better, while Anthony Edwards has turned into an MVP-caliber player. Even though it may not be a favorable matchup, Minnesota will be up for the challenge to beat a LeBron James team in the first round.