After getting punked twice in Oklahoma City, Minnesota’s season was on the line Saturday at Target Center.

Game 3 of the Western Conference finals wasn’t only a must-win, it was a must-set-a-tone. The Timberwolves had to remind the world — and, frankly, themselves — of who they are: A talented, physical, relentless collection.

Who better to deliver the message than Anthony Edwards.

The superstar guard did just that Saturday to power Minnesota to a 143-101 victory. The Wolves pulled within 2-1 in the series with Game 4 set for 7:30 p.m. Monday in Minneapolis.

Yes, Edwards scored 16 points in the first quarter, actually outscoring the Thunder as a whole in that frame. But more importantly, he was tenacious in every aspect of the game. His defense was harassing out on the perimeter, producing a number of steals that led to highlight finishes in transition.

He was a monster on the glass, even nabbing an offensive board off a Rudy Gobert missed free throw.

Offensively, Edwards finally started to hit the step-in 3-pointers that have become a trademark of his this season, and Oklahoma City has left available with its drop pick-and-roll coverage.

Edwards came out throwing haymakers. When your best player exerts his dominance, others feel more comfortable to fulfill their roles. Suddenly, the 3-pointers of everyone else started to fall. Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo all started raining down triples with confidence.

The Wolves snapped out of a shooting slump by going 20 for 40 from 3-point range in the win.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch went to Terrence Shannon Jr. in the first-half rotation, and the rookie responded with nine points in four minutes of action in the first half alone, finishing with 15 for the game. Minnesota also shifted to a more aggressive perimeter defense that held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check and prevented Oklahoma City from ever getting comfortable offensively.

Minnesota led by 19 after the first frame, 31 at halftime and was never threatened by the top-seeded Thunder.

Edwards had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He was everywhere, which was exactly where he needs to be if Minnesota is to win four games out of five against this Thunder team.

One down, three to go.

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Minnesota United remained unbeaten when scoring the first goal on Saturday, but one poor moment led to a 1-1 draw with Austin FC at Allianz Field.

Michael Boxall scored off a corner kick in the 16th minute, but Austin needed a pinpoint sequence on low-odds counter attack to level the game 11 minutes later.

Minnesota (7-3-5, 26 points) is now 7-0-3 when scoring first goal this season. Austin (5-6-3, 18 points) improved to 0-6-1 when conceding first.

Minnesota blew out Austin 3-0 on May 3 and had a much more difficult time breaking down the Verde defense on Satrurday.

Boxall opened up the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 16th minute. Off a corner kick from Joaquin Pereyra and a header from Nico Romero, the Loons captain and center back tapped it in with his noggin from a few feet out.

Boxall, an avid golfer on off days in the offseason, went to a putting celebration.

United’s lead held up for 11 minutes and was undone at a completely unexpected time.

The Loons had a throw-into the attacking third but Austin intervened and sprang an inch-perfect counter attack. Boxall, Julian Gressel and Wil Trapp feverishly tried to make up ground but Austin found Zan Kolmanic for a finish tucked into the far post.

Kelvin Yeboah, who ended his eight-match scoring drought against St. Louis in U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, subbed in during 61st minute. He and Tani Oluwaseyi both played as forward.

In a head-scratching contrast, Austin subbed out its two best attackers — Brandon Vazquez and Osman Bukari — in the 71st minute.

Boxall added quality defensive work with a game-saving tackle in the 90th minute.

Three tidbits

In a surprising decision, Anthony Markanich kept his position at left wing back despite Joseph Rosales’ suspension ending before for Saturday’s game. Markanich deserved to keep his spot after his two-goal game led Loons to U.S. Open Cup win over St. Louis on Wednesday. Rosales replaced Markanich at halftime;  Markanich played 225 minutes over three games in eight days. … Entering Saturday, the Loons tallied at least three goals scored in three of previous four games for the first time since 2022. … Loons have an MLS-low 37% possession this season and radio play-by-play commentator Dan Terhaar joked about how Minnesota had nearly 50 percent in the first half. “That’s too much,” he kidded.

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Walter will be in town on Memorial Day.

The Frost are on a first-name basis with the PWHL championship trophy after winning it — the Walter Cup — last year in the league’s inaugural season. They quickly grew attached to it, calling the union a match made it heaven.

Saturday at Xcel Energy Center, the Frost entered Game 3 of the best-of-five PWHL Finals knowing that a win over the Ottawa Charge would leave them just one win away from making Walter theirs to have and to hold for another year.

It took them longer than they could have imagined, but Minnesota fought its way to a 2-1 win in triple overtime on Saturday. Katy Knoll got the winner at 9:57 of the third extra period, spinning around to bang in a rebound in the slot.

With Game 4 set for 4 p.m. on Monday at Xcel, the Frost can claim their second straight PWHL title on home ice with a victory. Should a Game 5 prove necessary it will be played in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Goals continue to be at a premium in the series, with each of the three games being decided by a 2-1 score in overtime.

The Frost held Ottawa without a shot on goal through the first 11:37 of the game. But the Charge’s first shot found the back of the net, giving them a 1-0 lead.

A scramble around the Frost net saw the puck bounce off the top of the net and onto the stick of Charge winger Emily Clark just off the edge of the crease. Clark fired a wrist shot past Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney for her third goal of the postseason.

The Frost, who had the only power play of the period, outshot the Charge 10-2 in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Frost pulled even at 2:58 of the second period on a goal by Lee Stecklein. With Knoll helping to create a screen in front of the net, Stecklein beat Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line for her fourth goal of the postseason.

With the game still tied 1-1, the Frost went on a power play at 6:32 of the third when Ottawa’s Jocelyne Larocque was sent off for roughing. The Frost came up empty despite having three great scoring opportunities.

Philips slid across the crease to smother a one-timer by Grace Zumwinkle from the left-wing circle early in the power play. Seconds later, the Frost’s Claire Thompson was looking at an open net when she gathered a rebound, but a Charge defender got her stick on the shot to deflect the puck over the net.

Taylor Heise hit the post on a wrist shot before the penalty expired.

Both goaltenders were called on to make big stops in overtime. A few by Philips were of the acrobatic variety. She had little chance on Knoll’s game winner.

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The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin five years ago sparked outrage in the Twin Cities and around the world.

A widely circulated video, which drew nearly universal condemnation, showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes on the evening of May 25, 2020, even after the 47-year-old Black man lay motionless beneath him.

Protesters gathered the next day at the site of Floyd’s death near 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, before marching to the Third Precinct headquarters of the Minneapolis Police Department, where Chauvin worked.

The demonstrations would continue nearly nonstop for several days across the Twin Cities, with thousands turning out to protest Floyd’s murder and police brutality writ large. Several local officials joined activists in calling for the officers involved in Floyd’s death to face criminal charges.

For four days, protests devolved into riots when night fell. Along Lake Street in Minneapolis and in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul, stores were looted and hundreds of buildings damaged — some destroyed — by fire.

Each morning, neighbors and business owners gathered to clean up debris and salvage what they could from the previous night’s destruction. Among the structures gutted by flames was the Third Precinct itself, which was abandoned by police.

On May 29, Chauvin became the first of four officers charged in Floyd’s death. That same day, Minnesota National Guard soldiers were deployed on Twin Cities streets, but looting and arson continued.

It wasn’t until the following evening when an 8 p.m. curfew was implemented for much of the metro that the overnight rioting dropped off, while peaceful protests continued.

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