Anthony Edwards wastes no time in delivering honest Kyrie Irving take after Christmas showdown

Anthony Edwards and Kyrie Irving were the focal point of attack for their respective teams on Christmas Day. In the end, only one explosive guard could come out on top—but that didn't stop a sincere show of respect between the two after the game.

After the Minnesota Timberwolves staved off the Dallas Mavericks 105-99, Edwards (26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) gave his honest take on Irving (39 points on 14-for-27 shooting), whom he had guarded for certain stretches.

"It was tough, man," said Anthony Edwards via ESPN as he described his personal matchup with the one-time NBA champion. "Kyrie, to me, he's the greatest point guard. Any time he gets going, it's tough to stop him."

Clearly, the Mavericks' 31-15 run in the fourth quarter was fresh in Ant-Man's mind. During that stretch, Irving pumped in 15 points as Dallas attempted to erase a 28-point deficit to steal the game. Irving, however, missed a three-pointer from the right wing that would have put the Mavs ahead by one with 36.9 seconds to go.

Recognizing that the Wolves dodged a bullet with that missed shot, Edwards showed Irving some love in a brief conversation after the final buzzer.

"He knows he's my favorite point guard of all time," Edwards said of Irving in his post-game interview. "It's always a battle. Last year in the playoffs, we were battling. I love going against him. I love the isos, I love the matchup."

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Anthony Edwards and the rest of the Wolves looked to capitalize on Luka Doncic's exit

Anthony Edwards finished with an 11-for-24 shooting clip, including four made shots out of seven attempts from deep. Off the halftime break, he and his crew smelled blood and pounced on the Mavericks to erect their biggest lead of the game.

Why was Dallas reeling? It was because the face of its franchise left the game late in the second quarter.

With a little over three minutes left before the halftime break, Doncic came off a Dereck Lively pick but found himself swarmed by Jaden McDaniels. Despite making virtually no contact with either Lively or McDaniels, Doncic picked up the ball, pivoted, and passed the rock to Irving. Unable to move, Doncic motioned to the Dallas bench and got subbed out shortly afterwards.

Edwards pushed the Wolves' lead to 28 off a leftie layup with 2:13 to go in the third quarter. Despite the huge deficit in front of their hometown crowd, the Mavericks led a spirited charge in the fourth that only got halted after Irving missed the potential go-ahead basket.

Anthony Edwards may have prevailed over Kyrie Irving on Christmas Day, but his respect for the latter's competitive drive remains intact.