Heading into the second-round series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs, the 19-year veteran Mike Conley and his team didn’t anticipate having Anthony Edwards available.
During the round one series against the Denver Nuggets, Edwards suffered a knee injury, which placed him on a week-to-week timeline. He was in danger of potentially missing the round.
Leading up to Game 1, Edwards was surprisingly upgraded to questionable. Eventually, the Timberwolves cleared the star guard for action.
After his first game back, Edwards landed heavy praise from his longtime veteran, Mike Conley, who couldn’t believe the young star made it back in time for the start of second round.
Mike Conley Speaks On Anthony Edwards
“I called him my hero before the game,” Conley told reporters after Game 1.
“It’’s like, you look up to somebody for what he just put himself through in the last week just to get ready for Game 1. I mean, nobody expected him to play. His level of commitment to the game, it just showed a lot. The respect that he has for us, the opportunity that we have in front of us, speaks volumes for how he came out today.”
Edwards had some limitations. The star guard came off the bench and played for just 25 minutes in a tight game. He made the most of each minute and each shot, producing an efficient 18 points by going 8-13 from the field.
Along with his scoring, Conley produced three assists and came down with three rebounds.
Timberwolves Take A Lead
Clearly, the Timberwolves are better off with Edwards on the floor.
While they managed to pull off the upset against Denver in round one, winning two out of the three and a half games Edwards didn’t play, San Antonio was surely going to be a bigger challenge considering the circumstances.
Edwards’ presence was major. The Timberwolves might’ve been the underdogs, but that hasn’t bothered them throughout the playoffs. Minnesota secured a 104-102 win on the road in San Antonio. They are now up 1-0 in the series.