Anthony Edwards looked like a man who didn’t want his summer to start yet. With his back against the wall in a win-or-go home Game 4 in against the Dallas Mavericks, he stepped up big time.

Edwards started the game with a strong first half, scoring 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting, and continued to work hard even as he got tired in the second half to finish just shy of a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Edwards’ efforts were rewarded by his teammates, many of whom stepped up to the challenge in a chippy game.

Karl-Anthony Towns had a resurgence in Game 4 after having a horrible time shooting the rock over the first three games. Towns had 25 points and five rebounds on 9 of 13 shooting, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. That included three huge triples in the fourth quarter that kept the Minnesota Timberwolves in the game and prevented the Mavericks from making the kind of late-game run that they’d been accustomed to over the first three games of the series. Towns would foul out near the end of the game, but the impact of his fourth quarter scoring was just enough to help his team squeak by.

Mike Conley was also sneakily effective, finishing the game with 14 points, three rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Conley did most of his damage in the first half with 13 points and three steals over the first two quarters, which crucially kept the Timberwolves stable even as the Mavericks erased a 12-point lead to tie the game at halftime.

Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels also both scored in double figures to round out things for the starters, and now Minnesota will be looking forward to taking the Mavericks on at home. With strong momentum on their side, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them force a Game 6 in Dallas. As a neutral fan in this series, I think that’d be the best outcome for NBA fans. This has been a fascinating series and I want more.

The Timberwolves were the first to break Kyrie’s mark of 14-0 in closeout games as well, which will make them more confident heading into Game 5. Irving struggled from the field, making only 6 of 18 field goal attempts before finishing with 16 points.

Luka Doncic, who got hounded all game, also had a really rough night. He ended the game with 28 points, 15 rebound and 10 assists, but only made 7 of 21 shots. He put the fear of god into the Timberwolves again in the closing seconds, though, after he hit a ridiculous three-pointer to pull the game within three points. He unfortunately missed the accompanying free throw, which helped Minnesota immensely.

So, instead of having around 10 days of quiet time before the NBA Finals start, we know we’re going to get at least one more. This series has been so entertaining and full of high-level basketball. Let’s see if the trend continues in Game 5.