On Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 132-108.

Kyrie Irving finished the game with 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

After the game, he was asked about Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards when he met with him media.

Irving: “Just like great artists or great athletes before him, he takes a lot of other people’s games and implements his own. That’s what makes you special, that’s what makes you great. I watched film on him yesterday and just now. “When you see the way he attacks his guys while he’s out there, he really wants to win every day and he’ll do the same to his teammates at some point. He has spoken very clearly about it in the media. As a young player leading a franchise, one of the most difficult tasks is to trust him with all this and respect him even more.

The Mavs host Edwards and the Timberwolves in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon.

Edwards comes into the game averaging 25.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 41.4% from three in 28 games -Point range shoots.

Last season, the Mavs and Timberwolves faced off in the 2024 Western Conference Finals.

The Mavs won the series (in five games) and reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 11 years.