With his surprising return to the lineup for Game 1, Anthony Edwards came off the bench for the first two outings against the San Antonio Spurs. This was done to better allow Chris Finch to stagger his minutes as he was on a playing time restriction. Ant-Man combined to total 49 minutes in those two contests.
In Friday’s Game 3, Edwards was reinserted into the starting lineup. His time on the court extended to 40:33 minutes. Coming off an injury, it not only seems like a risk, but Ant seemed to run out of steam towards the end of the game.
Played substantially more in Game 3 than the first two
While it came in a losing effort, Edwards did all he could to help the Wolves regain the series lead. It was his best performance of the series as the 24-year-old finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. That rebounding total was two more than Ant had in any other game this year, and it also tied his career-high.
It led to an entertaining Game 3 where the two superstars, Edwards and Victor Wembanyama, went back-and-forth with highlight-level plays. The difference was that Wemby had 16 points in the fourth quarter, a period where Ant-Man just couldn’t get going as he did in the first three quarters.
Re-entering the game with 8:04 remaining, Edwards scored on a floater in his first offensive possession back on the floor. He didn’t score again until almost seven minutes later, knocking down a 3-pointer at a time when it seemed very unlikely that Minnesota could find a way to come back to win. In between, Ant only attempted two shots, both being 3-pointers that missed.
Edwards had already played 32 minutes through the first three quarters, seven minutes more than he saw through the entirety of either Game 1 or Game 2. You don’t often see a player go from a 25-minute restriction to being allowed to play 40 the very next game.
It doesn't help that the Wolves' shot creation and scoring next to Ant are limited.
Again, Ant wasn’t supposed to be back in Game 1. A hyperextended left knee and bone bruise was expected to sideline the four-time All-Star for at least the start of the series. It’s not like his other knee is at full strength either, as he’s been dealing with runner’s knee for some time.
Down 2-1, the Timberwolves are in desperate need of a win in Sunday’s Game 4. With Chris Finch shrinking his rotation in Game 3, and the implications of the game, it could be another 1 where Edwards receives little rest.
You just have to hope the extended playing time doesn’t risk further injury.
Add us as a preferred source on Google