RealGM Wiretap
Anthony Edwards returned from a bone bruise ahead of schedule, coming off the bench to score 18 points in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 104-102 road victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night.
Edwards suffered the deep bone bruise eight days earlier when his left knee bent sharply on a block attempt. Team sources had told ESPN he was trending toward a Game 3 return, once the series moved to Minneapolis. His own coach, Chris Finch, said the earliest he had expected Edwards to play was Game 2.
"Nobody expected him to play," Mike Conley said.
Edwards pushed that timeline forward himself. He told the team's medical staff and front office his knee had responded well enough to justify an earlier return. He appeared at Monday morning's shootaround wearing a thick sleeve on his left knee and was cleared to play.
The Timberwolves limited Edwards to 25 minutes as a precaution. He delivered 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 11 points in the final nine minutes to help close out the narrow win.
“I know for a fact, just me being out there, it calms everybody down," Edwards said. “Not saying there’s any pressure on any of my teammates, but it takes pressure off of everybody just knowing that I’m out there, I’m available to play, yeah. And just doing what I do best, just trying to put the ball in the hoop.”
Minnesota's defense was equally decisive. The Timberwolves held De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama to a combined 10-of-31 shooting. Wembanyama set an NBA playoff record with 12 blocks, but San Antonio still fell short. Julian Champagnie's buzzer-beating 3-point attempt missed, securing the win.
“We have to be better,” Wembanyama said. “It shows up on the stat sheet. We need to figure out before 48 hours what we can do better and I’ve got no doubt that we will. I trust us.”
The Spurs are 9.5 point favorites for Game 2 on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
