The Western Conference semifinals series between the Warriors and Timberwolves was already down one superstar with Stephen Curry out until at least Game 5, and it briefly lost another when Anthony Edwards limped to the locker room Thursday night in Game 2.
Edwards, the Timberwolves’ 23-year-old leader and already one of the league’s top players, had to be helped off the floor midway through the second quarter after Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his left ankle defending an attempt at the rim.
Edwards was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, and the Timberwolves deemed him questionable to return, but he spent less than six minutes of game time in the locker room before returning to the court to begin the second half. He finished with 20 points — 13 in the second half — and rounded out his stat line with nine rebounds, five assists and three steals in 34 minutes as the Timberwolves evened the series with a 117-93 win.
“This one I really was worried about,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “There are lots of ways that being an elite athlete pays off, and being able to shake those things off certainly is one. This one, I was really planning on not seeing him the rest of the game.”
Jackson-Davis was attempting to defend the drive and landed on Edwards’ left ankle, which rolled under the weight of the Warriors’ 6-foot-9, 245-pound second-year forward. Edwards remained on the floor beneath the basket for Golden State’s offensive possession on the other end of the floor, and Finch eventually called timeout to get him off the court with 5:56 remaining in the quarter.
Playing without Curry, who strained his left hamstring in Game 1, the Warriors were already in a big hole when Edwards left the game. They trailed 37-19 when he went to the locker room and were down 56-39 at halftime. Edwards tested the ankle during intermission and took his spot on the floor to begin the second half.
Asked to provide an update on his ankle after the game, Edwards told the TNT broadcast he was “feeling great.”
While Edwards was quiet during the Warriors’ win in Game 1 — and was called out by Finch afterward — he averaged 26.8 points and played 41 minutes per game during Minnesota’s first-round win against the Lakers. His absence would mean as much for the Timberwolves as Curry’s does for Golden State.
Edwards overcame another injury scare during that series, when LeBron James dove into his legs while chasing a loose ball in Game 4. While Edwards averted the worst-case scenario in the collision, it did cause him to twist his ankle — the same one he sprained Thursday night.