Edwards Unfazed as Timberwolves Face Elimination After Game 5 Rout
edwards-unfazed-timberwolves-face-elimination-after-game-5-rout
SAN ANTONIO — Anthony Edwards insisted the Minnesota Timberwolves remain calm despite a lopsided 126-97 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night that pushed them to the brink of postseason elimination.
“I don’t see nobody in our locker room that’s too worried,” the All-Star guard said after the Game 5 loss at Frost Bank Center. “There’s another basketball game. Come out, put your boots on and get ready to go to war.”
The Spurs, winners of 62 regular-season games, now lead the Western Conference semifinal series 3-2. They have taken their past two home contests by a combined 67 points.
Fast start from Wembanyama
The NBA declined to suspend Victor Wembanyama for the swinging elbow that earned him a Game 4 ejection, and the 7-foot-4 rookie quickly made amends. Wembanyama scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in the first seven minutes, staking San Antonio to a 24-11 advantage. “Some of the stuff Wemby was doing you don’t really have too much of an answer for,” Edwards said. “You just hope he misses.”
Timberwolves briefly rally
Minnesota tied the game at 61 with 7:51 left in the third quarter behind three Jaden McDaniels three-pointers and 20 points from Edwards. The momentum vanished when, according to head coach Chris Finch, the offense abandoned its ball-movement principles. “Then our defense just cratered,” Finch noted. “We gave up 30 points in the last six minutes of the third quarter.”
Key struggles
Forward Julius Randle’s shooting slump continued at 6-for-17, dropping him to 36.6 percent for the series after a 48.1 percent regular season. McDaniels fought foul trouble again, picking up five and sitting 18 minutes, during which the Timberwolves were outscored by 17.
San Antonio deployed 20 double-teams on Edwards, per ESPN Research. Those possessions produced just 13 Minnesota points on 6-of-15 shooting with five turnovers. Limited to 13 field-goal attempts, Edwards has logged 41, 40 and 39 minutes over the past three games while managing soreness in both knees.
Looking ahead
The teams receive their only two-day break of the series before Game 6 on Friday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. “I’m so happy,” Edwards said of the pause. “I’m ready to get two days.”
Source: ESPN.com
