The Minnesota Timberwolves have seen Anthony Edwards writhing in pain on the floor several times throughout his career, before eventually welcoming their star guard back to the game.
This looked a little different. The sprained left ankle that forced Edwards out in the second quarter of Game 2 against Golden State on Thursday night even gave him a scare.
“This one, I was really worried about, actually,” coach Chris Finch said. “There are lots of ways being an elite athlete pays off. Being able to shake those things off is certainly one of them. But this one, I was really planning on not seeing him the rest of the game, to be honest with you.”
Edwards managed to make it back yet again, causing a roar from the crowd when he walked back onto the court for warmups right before the start of the second half. The 23-year-old finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Timberwolves in the 117-93 victory over the Warriors that tied the second-round series.
“That one was crazy,” Edwards said. "But I’ll be all right.”
Edwards tried to finish a fast break with a layup that Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis blocked before landing on Edwards' left foot as they both came down.
Edwards immediately grabbed for his ankle as he sat on the floor under the basket. He was unable to put weight on his left foot as he was eventually helped off the court, after Golden State's Draymond Green even came over to check on him.
Once Edwards reached the locker room, David Hines, the vice president for medical operations and performance therapy, went to work.
“Once we got to like the third movement in my ankle, I’m like, ‘All right, it’s starting to feel good. If we tape it, I’ll see how it feels,'” Edwards said. "He does a great job of making sure I’m good before I get out there, so big shoutout to David.”
Edwards, a three-time All-Star who was fourth in the NBA in scoring during the regular season, had just seven points on 2-for-7 shooting before he got hurt. His production once he returned was strong enough to assure the Wolves and their fans there wasn't anything to worry about moving forward in the series.
Edwards went up to catch a lob from Julius Randle and dropped it in for a layup late in the third quarter, passing an important test for his ankle.
“Superman, for real,” teammate Jaden McDaniels said.
GAME THREE PREVIEW
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (48-34, seventh in the Western Conference)
San Francisco; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. CDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Timberwolves -5; over/under is 201.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Series tied 1-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Golden State Warriors for game three of the Western Conference second round with the series tied 1-1. The Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 117-93 in the last meeting on Friday. Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 24 points, and Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 18.
The Warriors are 29-23 in conference play. Golden State ranks fourth in the league with 29.1 assists per game led by Stephen Curry averaging 6.0.
The Timberwolves are 33-19 in Western Conference play. Minnesota is fifth in the NBA averaging 15.0 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 37.7% from deep. Anthony Edwards leads the team averaging 4.1 makes while shooting 39.5% from 3-point range.
The Warriors are shooting 45.1% from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points lower than the 46.0% the Timberwolves allow to opponents. The Timberwolves average 15.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.8 more made shots on average than the 13.2 per game the Warriors give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jimmy Butler is averaging 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists for the Warriors. Buddy Hield is averaging 12.3 points over the last 10 games.
Randle is averaging 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the Timberwolves. Edwards is averaging 27.3 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 45.2% over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 5-5, averaging 103.9 points, 39.5 rebounds, 25.0 assists, 8.8 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.7 points per game.
Timberwolves: 8-2, averaging 111.6 points, 44.2 rebounds, 24.2 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 101.5 points.
INJURIES: Warriors: Stephen Curry: out (hamstring).
Timberwolves: Rob Dillingham: day to day (ankle).