Anthony Edwards calls out heat reserve for ‘talking pretty crazy’ during T-Wolves’ blowout win

Not that Anthony Edwards needs any extra motivation to play basketball, but a Miami Heat player may have pushed the Minnesota Timberwolves star to go even further during his 45-point outing in a 131-106 victory Wednesday night.

Speaking to reporters after Minnesota’s win, Edwards criticized a Heat bench player for “talking pretty crazy” at one point in the game.

“A player on his bench was talking shit in one of the dead ball situations,” Edwards said. “I think it bothered me a little. He was talking quite crazy.”

Edwards couldn’t identify the player from where he was, but it appears to be Myron Gardner. Heat, depending on Miami HeraldAnthony Chiang’s Anthony Chiang did not make Gardner available to the media after Thursday’s practice.

Edwards added that things calmed down on the Miami bench after he started engaging with them.

“When I started talking to him, he didn’t have much to say. I don’t really like it,” he said. “If you want to talk shit, keep talking shit. Don’t shut up. I think that’s pretty much why I was super intense tonight.”

Gardner is in his second season with the Heat. He went undrafted by Little Rock in 2023 and spent two seasons in the G League with the Orlando Magic affiliate in Osceola.

“I love Myron’s competitive spirit and he wants to bring energy to the group,” head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters Thursday. “You also have to be smart. I don’t want him to say stupid things to the other team’s top scorers, especially when he’s not there. But he has a good heart. He thinks the right things. He’ll be better.”

The Heat signed Gardner to their Summer League team in 2025. He signed a standard three-year contract with Miami in February. The 25-year-old played just three minutes on Wednesday night.

If the Heat tried to get under Edwards’ skin, it failed spectacularly. He scored 45 points on 16-of-29 shooting (9-of-17 from three) and grabbed 10 rebounds in just 33 minutes.

Edwards joined Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to record multiple 40-point games in his team’s season opener. He scored 41 last year in a 118-114 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The historic night for Edwards spoiled Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Heat debut after he was acquired in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.