Some things are bigger than basketball. On an emotional Mother’s Day, Anthony Edwards delivered a legendary 36-point performance to honor his late mother and tie the series 2-2. Yankee Scores has the details. 

Anthony Edwards had a remarkable game of 36 points, temporarily steadying the ship of a Timberwolves team with a season that was looking highly shaky.

A Mother’s Day Tribute

Post-game, Edwards paid tribute to his late mom and dedicated the performance to her memory.

“Today is Mother’s Day,” Edwards said, redirecting the first news conference question. “I just wanted to win for my Mom. It was that simple.”

Edwards lost his mother, Yvette Edwards, to cancer in 2015. His grandmother Shirley Edwards died of the same disease eight months later. As he shared earlier, Edwards chose number 5 because both his family members died on the fifth day of the month. He even had pictures of them by his side during Minnesota’s first pick in the 2020 NBA draft lottery.

“For sure,” Edwards said when asked whether he was thinking about his mother Sunday. “I couldn’t lose this game for her.”

In Sunday’s game, the Timberwolves won against the San Antonio Spurs by 114-109, using a flagrant-2 foul to tie the series at 2-2.

IT’S WHAT HE DOES!!!!! pic.twitter.com/gVlGgMPaM2

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 11, 2026

The Turning Point: Wembanyama Ejected

During the second quarter, when rebounding a ball under pressure, Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama struck Minnesota’s Naz Reid with a hard right elbow, causing Reid to fall on the court and making the referees examine the play in slow motion.

As Lead Referee Zach Zarba called it a Flagrant Foul 2, the play automatically led to a penalty with Wembanyama being ejected from the match, which created a chance for Minnesota to change their luck in the series where the San Antonio Spurs were dominating.

“Honestly, I think it was kind of harder [without Wembanyama],” Edwards said. “Of course they are a really great team with him on the floor, but they play a lot slower when he’s on the floor. It’s just like when every team is missing their best player and everyone [else] plays free, more confident.”

Gritty Spurs vs. Rejuvenated Wolves

However, the Spurs’ young core didn’t give up without the presence of their best player. Rookie Dylan Harper scored 24 points as a substitute, Stephon Castle (2nd year) added 20 points to his name, and De’Aaron Fox started shooting in the second half of the game, bringing Spurs’ score closer by eight points to begin the 4th quarter.

YESSIR BIG FELLA pic.twitter.com/hxP67pBn6f

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 11, 2026

Afterwards, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said Minnesota “let our mind slip” and “lost our way,” allowing the Spurs to start winning.

However, the Timberwolves managed to catch up by outplaying the Spurs for 34-25 in the final quarter. It was possible to use Minnesota’s advantage in playing close to the rim when Wembanyama was gone from the floor.

Wembanyama accumulated 19 blocks during the first three games of the series and made sure there was his significant presence in front of the basket, negatively affecting Minnesota’s shooting percentage.

But in the last minutes of Game 4, San Antonio Spurs tried using either Luke Kornet instead of Wembanyama or none of them at all, making Minnesota attack the basket easier. This led to Rudy Gobert scoring some quick two-and-ones, Ayo Dosunmu’s timely layup, and Naz Reid making an important put-back.

Edwards, who had a severe injury on his left knee and bone bruise 15 days ago, has played his fourth consecutive match of this series. He has surpassed the 40 minutes of gameplay in two consecutive games already.

all tied up. pic.twitter.com/GCy8hNRAhs

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 11, 2026

“Everybody knows the rim is going to be a lot more open when he’s not on the floor,” Edwards said. “He’s 8-feet tall, so, yeah, he going to cover up the rim every time he’s on the floor.”

Game 5 is Tuesday night in San Antonio.