jamal necklaceESPN2 minute read
CHICAGO – Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was helped off the field after suffering a right ankle injury during the first quarter of Friday night’s 139-131 loss to the Chicago Bulls in double overtime.
Edwards landed awkwardly and collapsed to the ground after coming off his feet to deliver a pass to Mike Conley for a 3-pointer with 4:01 remaining in the quarter. Edwards screamed in pain and immediately started grabbing his right ankle after the game and didn’t put weight on the leg as the team’s coach and injured teammate Karl-Anthony Towns helped him out. carry him to the locker room.
The Timberwolves announced at halftime that Edwards would not return to the game, but he joined the team late in the fourth quarter to cheer on the team from the bench while wearing a protective boot.
Neither Edwards nor Timberwolves coach Chris Finch offered any details on the severity of Edward’s injury after the game, but Edwards said he felt fine and hoped he wouldn’t. wouldn’t stay away for long.
“I couldn’t walk on it, so I knew it was a wrap,” Edwards said after the game. “See how it feels tomorrow.”
Minnesota drops to 35-36 and the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference after Friday’s loss as Wolves fight for their spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
Edwards played eight minutes Friday night and went 3 of 4 off the field for eight points and an assist before leaving the game with an injury. He played in all 71 games this season for Minnesota, the only player on the team to do so.
Wolves are already without star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been out since November 28 with a calf injury. The team announced earlier this week that Towns is expected to return in the coming weeks. Now in his third NBA season, Edwards, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, made the All-Star team for the first time in his career in 2022-23. He’s averaging 25 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 46% from the field, all of which are career highs.
“We know nobody is going to help us,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said of the possibility of playing without Edwards. “We’ve got everything we’ve got. So we just have to go out there, keep working, keep enjoying it and learning from this situation. Win a game when we’re in a position to win a game.”