Celtics

“It’s frustrating to see these people cooking us and I can’t cook them.”

Anthony Edwards has struggled this season as he continues to learn how to deal with double teams at the NBA level, and the Celtics took full advantage of their win on Thursday night.

Edwards is shooting a career-low 41.7 percent from the field this season, a career-low 32.9 percent from 3-point range and he is averaging a career-low 19.1 points per game.

The Celtics defense, which pulled itself out of a slump on New Year’s Eve, expanded its strength even further by starting a challenging Western Conference road trip with a win.

Edwards expressed frustration after the game with the way Boston guarded him. The Celtics put Jayson Tatum on him, intentionally forcing him to go left and sending double teams as needed that took Edwards out of his rhythm. Edwards had 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Edwards said. “You’re just setting me up, man. I don’t know what to do, I’m not going to lie.”

The Celtics held the Timberwolves to 16 points in the second quarter, which helped them build a double-digit halftime lead.

Minnesota scored 34 points in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to Edwards, who played more of a distribution role. Four of his six assists came in the quarter, while Edwards took just one shot, a 3-footer that he missed.

He’s not used to playing like that and he made it clear he doesn’t enjoy it either. Asked if he liked playing a similar style to the third quarter, Edwards said “hell no.”

“I don’t know, man. That was a good kind of basketball, but of course I don’t want to play that way. I’m only 23. I don’t want to just pass the ball all night, you feel me? At all. But the way they guarded me, I feel like I had to do it.”

Edwards said it was “super hard” to stay engaged without his usual scoring opportunities.

“It doesn’t completely take me out of the game,” Edwards said. “But it definitely frustrates me a little bit. When they double-team me, it’s like, ‘Bro, what’s going on?’ I’m trying to figure it out, man.”

Edwards rubbed his chin as he considered a question about passing out of the double team and calling to get the ball back. He said he didn’t want to give the impression that he was chasing the ball down the floor every time.

“But then when I get a double and give up and go to the corner, it’s like, ‘Boom, the double team won,'” Edwards said. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do. It’s not fun, of course, because I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not trying or that I’m not as good as I am, because I am, but I can’t show it because I’m cornered. ”

The Celtics won the season series with the Timberwolves. The next time the two teams could meet would be in the NBA Finals. Edwards said the sight of other stars like Jayson Tatum, who scored a game-high 33 points, only added to the frustration.

“It’s definitely frustrating to see these people cooking us and I can’t cook them because of the adjustments,” Edwards said. “They do 100 percent good work. This keeps me from doing what I want to do out there. Big praise to the opposing team.”

Tatum said he came to coach Joe Mazzulla before the game and asked him to guard Edwards. The Celtics forward said he believes his defense is an underrated aspect of his game, but also praised his teammates for helping him execute.

“It wasn’t a one-man job,” Tatum said. “We increased our intensity and physicality as a unit. Tried to make it difficult for him. I didn’t want to let him play one on one. I just wanted to show body and make it as uncomfortable as possible. When the best players in the league are comfortable, it’s difficult, so you have to try things to throw them off.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.