Edwards scores 34, sets Timberwolves career 3-pointer record in 133-104 win over Denver

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and became the Minnesota Timberwolves' career leader in 3-pointers in a 133-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets 133-104 on Saturday.

Edwards made 14 of 23 shots from the floor and scored 23 points in the second half as Minnesota pulled away after leading by 11 at halftime.

Julius Randle had 21 points, while Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won their second straight.

Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 25 points. Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 11 assists for Denver, which had won won four straight and eight of its last nine. Jokic grabbed just three rebounds, ending his streak of five straight triple-doubles.

Minnesota led from wire to wire, scoring a season-high 40 points in the first quarter when it shot 69.2% (18 for 26) from the field.

Nuggets: Denver had won six straight on the road and its 14-8 road record was the third-best in the Western Conference. Saturday's defeat began a five-game road swing.

Timberwolves: Minnesota made a season-high 53 field goals and its 55.8% shooting from the field was the team's second-best mark of the year.

With the Timberwolves leading 91-77 midway through the third quarter, Edwards missed a 3-pointer from the wing, but Gobert came down with the rebound. Naz Reid then missed a short hook shot, but Gobert tipped the rebound to an open spot on the court and then ran it down. The ball eventually made it back to Edwards, who drained a 3 to give Minnesota its largest lead of the game at 17 points.

Edwards' third 3-pointer was No. 976 of his career, passing Karl-Anthony Towns for the most career 3-pointers in Timberwolves history.

Both teams are back in action on Monday, with the Nuggets visiting Chicago and the Timberwolves hosting Atlanta.

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham , right, reacts after scoring over Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) dives for a loose ball against Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8) while Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, right, vies for a loose ball while Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) shoots over Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8) while Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) shoots past Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) prepares to dunk during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) celebrates after scoring while Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The remains of two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert were welcomed back to Des Moines on Wednesday, marking a solemn Christmas Eve for their grieving families.

Several loved ones approached the caskets carrying Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and William Nathanial Howard, 29. The families huddled together, comforting one another and wiping away tears. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn looked on alongside senior leaders of the Iowa National Guard.

The killed guardsmen as well as a U.S. civilian interpreter killed in the Dec. 13 ambush were flown back to the U.S. last week, when President Donald Trump paid his respects and met with the families at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

On Wednesday, escorted by Howard's step-brother and two other members of the Iowa National Guard, the wooden caskets draped in American flags were lowered from the body of an Iowa Air National Guard aircraft that flew from Sioux City to collect the soldiers' remains from Delaware.

In Des Moines, like at Dover, as part of the solemn transfer ritual, fellow Iowa National Guard members wearing white gloves carried the cases. After the families spent several minutes mourning over their loved ones on the tarmac, the caskets were each loaded into a hearse, one blue and the other black.

The two soldiers, posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. Their families followed the hearses in a procession to funeral homes in Des Moines and Marshalltown, escorted by Des Moines Police Department and Iowa State Patrol, respectively. Their funerals will take place in the coming days, according to the Iowa National Guard.

On the route away from the 132nd Wing at the Des Moines International Airport, dozens of people lined up on the mild December day carrying American flags and paying their respects to the killed soldiers.

Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, a U.S. civilian working as an interpreter, was also killed. He was laid to rest in Michigan over the weekend.

Hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State group, and Trump promised “very serious retaliation” after the attack. The administration last week proceeded with military strikes in what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as a “declaration of vengeance” in a post on social media.

Three other Iowa National Guard members were wounded in the attack, one of whom was treated locally. Two others who were evacuated from Syria for medical treatment returned to the U.S. on Dec. 20.

The remains of Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert, are moved during a dignified transfer at the Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)