The Timberwolves may have lost more than a game Friday night when All-Star Anthony Edwards went down with an injury in the first quarter of their 139-131 double-overtime loss at Chicago.
Edwards was hurt late in the first quarter when he landed awkwardly after jumping while throwing a pass.
He stayed down clutching his ankle before being helped to the back, and coach Chris Finch wasn’t sure how long he’ll be out.
"Ant's a tough kid," Finch said after Edwards returned to the bench following initial treatment. "Super tough. Had the boot on already. That's seems to be a good sign."
Edwards wasn’t ruling out playing at Toronto on Saturday.
“I’m gonna see how it feels tomorrow,” he said. “Hopefully I can play.”
The loss was the Wolves' fourth in five games and dropped them to 35-36, eighth-best in the NBA Western Conference.
The Timberwolves need to finish in the top six in the west to move directly to the NBA playoffs.
The teams that finish 7-through-10 in each conference take part in a play-in tournament.
Last season, the Wolves beat the Clippers in the play-in opener to grab the seventh seed in the west before dropping their first-round series to Memphis.
Losing Edwards, who came into the game averaging 25 points and made his first All-Star team this year, would be a big blow for the Timberwolves, particularly with Karl-Anthony Towns appears poised to return from a calf injury that has sidelined him for most of the season.
The Timberwolves are trying to avoid the play-in and build some momentum with the regular season winding down.
“You want to be getting guys healthy and playing at your best, guys in a great rhythm,” said Mike Conley, who scored 28 for the Wolves in Friday's loss. “Obviously being without KAT and then losing Ant, two of our best players, at such an important time of the season is very tough. This team’s got to be resilient. This is gonna be a great time for us to grow up together and figure it out.”
Finch said there are “a lot of dynamics” to Towns’ impending return that the Timberwolves “haven’t really dug into” because there are still some unknowns, such as whether he will be on a minutes restriction.
Towns hasn’t played since he strained his right calf against Nov. 28 in a game at Washington.
The team announced Wednesday the three-time All-Star is expected to return “in the coming weeks.”
“The good thing about KAT is he’s pretty much wired to make the right play, whether it’s passing or shooting,” Finch said.