The Minnesota Timberwolves were cruising in their playoff opener on Saturday, but Anthony Edwards provided some cause for concern in the second half.
Minnesota stunned the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their playoff series, winning on the road by the final score of 117-95 to take homecourt advantage away from the purple and gold. The Timberwolves led by as many as 27 points during the contest, spearheaded by a very balanced, three-point-oriented scoring attack.
Edwards finished with 22 points on four threes, Jaden McDaniels had 25 points on three triples, and Naz Reid came off the bench to post 23 points on six threes.
But during the third quarter, Timberwolves fans were left wondering if the good times had suddenly come to a screeching halt. With just over three minutes left in the period, Edwards drove to the basket and missed the layup, going crashing to the hardwood. Upon getting up, Edwards was hobbled and immediately limped straight to the locker room.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported good news though. Edwards was only dealing with a cramp, and he ended up returning to the game (at the 10:57 mark of the fourth quarter) after receiving treatment.
Edwards was also feeling good enough in that fourth quarter to taunt Lakers star Luka Doncic after making a three-pointer over him.
The Timberwolves live and die by Edwards, who is also taking steps to ensure his availability during the postseason. Thus, any injury would be a big concern, especially give the high-intensity competition in the playoffs with usually only one or (at most) two days off in between games. But Edwards’ issue was ultimately revealed to be a minor one, and Minnesota was able to secure a huge advantage in the series against the Lakers by taking Game 1 on the road.
