Two years ago, as Jalen Brunson emerged as an All-Star point guard for the NBA's New York Knicks, the head coach of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, Becky Hammon, declared on an ESPN panel, "If your best player is small,

The Timberwolves opened the game with strong intent. They held OKC to just 44 points in the first half and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 11. On the other hand, Julius Randle registered 20 points, while Edwards logged 13, handing the T-Wolves an optimistic four-point lead going into halftime on the road.

The last time an American-born player walked away with the top honor was James Harden in 2018. The run of international players winning MVP -- Gilgeous-Alexander is from Canada -- speaks to the expanding global reach of the NBA and the increased number of talent outside of the United States.

Edwards doesn't believe his ankle, which he rolled in the first half, affected his performance in the Game 1 loss.

Get to know Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, his family, his history in basketball and his touching past.

Edwards predicted a year ago that Minnesota would make it back to the West finals. The Wolves dispatched the Warriors to prove him right.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are down 1-0 vs the OKC Thunder. Anthony Edwards isn't worried... only shook by the gm 1 box score.