Anthony Edwards took a pair of stepback jumpers in the final two minutes of regulation late Thursday in Sacramento.

But with the game on the line in the closing seconds, that would not be his route.

The Timberwolves and Kings were knotted at 115-115 with Minnesota possessing the ball and just two seconds of separation between the game and shot clock. Edwards dribbled up top when Sacramento sent a double team his way. By this point in his career, Edwards' instant reaction in those instances is to get off the ball.

He passed it to Mike Conley, then ran toward the point guard to get the rock back. When he did, with time ticking down, he attacked off the bounce. Edwards got to the rim, got fouled and got to the free-throw line. He drilled both attempts.

Keegan Murray's potential game-winning 3-point attempt rimmed out on the other end and Minnesota escaped with its first win of the season.

"Obviously, we wanted to put the ball in (Edwards') hands," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told reporters. "We just asked Mike to read the double, and he did a good job getting it right back into Anthony's hands, and Anthony did a good job playing off the catch and getting downhill. It's really big for him to be able to put pressure on the rim in those situations."

Edwards finished with 32 points and seven rebounds Thursday as he joined forces with Julius Randle to power Minnesota's offensive attack. Randle had 33 points on 13 for 17 shooting, drilling five triples. He was a bit of a life preserver for the Wolves as they struggled in the first half Thursday in a similar fashion to how they did throughout their season opener Tuesday in a loss to the Lakers.

In his postgame, on-court television interview, Edwards said the team informed Randle at Thursday's morning shootaround that he didn't need to fit around them.

"We'll fit around you. He showed us today," Edwards said. "I feel like when Julius be himself, we going to be trouble."

But it was Minnesota who was in trouble for the first two and a half quarters as Sacramento scored against Minnesota with ease. Finally, the insertion of Nickeil Alexander-Walker early in the third quarter seemed to spark a better defensive effort. The Kings scored just seven points over the final six minutes of the third quarter, allowing Minnesota to take a lead into the fourth quarter after a barrage of triples from Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid.

The bench mob of the latter two players and Donte DiVincenzo continue to spark Minnesota, with the Wolves playing their best basketball when those guys are on the floor.. Alexander-Walker hit three triples Thursday, while Reid had 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Then, in the fourth, Edwards and Randle brought Minnesota home. Edwards noted he struggled early as the Kings (0-1) blitzed him off ball screens, which led to some poor decisions.

"They had a great gameplan, double-teaming me, trying to get me out of the game," Edwards said. "We came in at halftime and Finch told me don't let it bother me, my teammates stood behind me like, 'Ant, keep going, don't let (it) bother you.'"

It wasn't pretty, but Minnesota will head into Saturday's home opener against Toronto with a 1-1 record, which sounds a lot more appealing than 0-2.