MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards had a hard fall that left him hobbling off the court on Tuesday with a bruised right hip.
Edwards was hurt when he tried to dunk on Oklahoma City's Kenrich Williams, drew a foul and lost his balance in the air. He landed on his right side and immediately winced in pain, staying down for a while before needing help from teammates to limp to the bench during a timeout in the NBA In-Season Tournament game.
Hearing “MVP” chants from the crowd, Edwards rejoined the huddle and walked back to the court to shoot his free throws. The fourth-year guard made one of two but was barely able to move on the next three possessions, as the injury appeared to stiffen up and he started clutching his right hip. He was subbed out with 2:40 left in the quarter with the Thunder leading 76-72.
“It was hard to get a rhythm offensively against them all night long. That’s the beauty of a guy like Ant. He can create his own offense and do his own thing. Tonight was really an opportunity that we needed that,” coach Chris Finch said.
Finch had no more details on the injury or whether it might cost Edwards some time. The Wolves host Utah on Thursday and play at Charlotte on Saturday.
Edwards returned to the bench in the fourth quarter after receiving treatment. He was smiling and joking with teammates down the stretch of Minnesota's 106-103 win and afterward in the locker room while moving around stiffly. He did not speak to reporters.
According to the Timberwolves website, despite a 3-1 record in the West C Group stage, the Timberwolves got knocked out of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
"The Wolves finished second in their group and didn't have the point differential tiebreaker over the West wildcard team, the Phoenix Suns," according to the site.
Because the team didn't advance in the tournament the NBA scheduled two regular season games next week on Wednesday and Friday.
- Timberwolves vs. Spurs on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at Target Center at 6:30 p.m.
- Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies on Friday, Dec. 8 at FedExForum in Memphis at 7 p.m.
