The Minnesota Timberwolves looked sunk on April 25 when star guard Anthony Edwards fell to the floor with a hyperextended knee and bone bruise.
Minnesota didn’t let that ruin the Western Conference first-round series against the No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets with a 4-2 series victory. The No. 6 seed Wolves just looked like undermanned underdogs going into the semifinal series with the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs, since Edwards’ injuries normally take weeks to recover from.
Edwards found a way to beat the odds and get back on the court for Game 1 of the series, a 104-102 victory over the Spurs. His longtime skills trainer and now business manager, Chris Holland, explained to the Star Tribune’ Chris Hines why it worked despite the odds of those injuries taking weeks for recovery.
“From the moment he went down, he was committed to coming back,” Holland told Hines. “So it was kind of scary for a second, because for the first couple of days he was walking really gingerly.”
“It caused him to actually take a completely different approach,” Holland added. “He understood the severity of it, and he just really locked in, because his focus was to get back in the series.”
In Game 1 against the Spurs, Edwards played 25 minutes, and he shot 8-13 for 18 points, and he had three rebounds, three assists and a block. He started on the bench as a precaution, but Edwards looked like a starter as a contributor on Monday.
Anthony Edwards Credits Team Doctor David Hines
Edwards gave a big shout to Wolves physical therapist David Hines after the win.
“Just right after the injury, I think the main thing is just trying to keep it from being stiff, because that’s the usual outcome of when you hyperextend your knee. You don’t want to move it,” Edwards told reporters via the Star Tribune. “And like I said, I think I got the best physical therapist in the world with David Hines.”
The vice president of medical operations and performance therapy with the Wolves, Hines has been working with professional athletes since 2007. Before joining the Wolves in 2021, he had worked with the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Knicks and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Normal Timeline Anthony Edwards-Like Injuries
Edwards returned quicker than most athletes would.
A bone bruise can last weeks, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and a hyperextended knee can take weeks for recovery in a best-case scenario, according to the clinic. He didn’t rush back, and he played off the bench on Monday, and he worked his way back gradually.
Edwards looked set to be out for weeks and partway into the Spurs series, but that changed quickly on Sunday. The Wolves cleared him for on-court activities the day before the series tip-off, and he moved up to questionable on the Game 1 injury report.
Anthony Edwards, Wolves Spoiled Record Night
San Antonio came into the series as heavy favorites after handily beating the No. 7 seed Portland Trailblazers in the first round 4–1. The Spurs came out strong on Monday, as Wembanyama, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, netted a triple-double of 11 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocks.
His 12 blocks broke the NBA playoff record of 10 blocks in a game. Wembanyama passed former NBA stars Hakeem Olajuwon, Andrew Bynum and Mark Eaton, who all had 10.
Insider Details Anthony Edwards’ Rapid Return With Wolves