The Minnesota Timberwolves roared back from a 22-point deficit on Tuesday night to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 118-100. Anthony Edwards was the star of the show and when asked what led to his big night, he threw some shade at the Clippers.
Stephanie Ready: “What a game this was. You exploded in that 3rd quarter. What were you seeing out there?”
Anthony Edwards: “Just a bunch of mismatches. Yeah, pretty much.”
Stephanie Ready: “Care to elaborate?”
Anthony Edwards: “Their best defender is Kawhi (Leonard). Kawhi went down, and they were just putting two on me and trying stuff. I hit one shot and I just got going.”
Kawhi Leonard exited the game after the first quarter due to back spasms and Edwards had his way with the Clippers following his departure. The 22-year-old had 14 points in the second quarter alone and finished the game with 37 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.
The Timberwolves had come into this contest after suffering back-to-back defeats and Edwards ensured that losing streak wouldn’t be extended. With Karl-Anthony Towns out, there is a bigger offensive load on the two-time All-Star’s shoulders and he delivered here.
The Timberwolves will need a fair few more of these special performances from Edwards the rest of the way if they are to remain in the mix for the top seed in the Western Conference. They are currently third in the West with a 45-21 record, half a game behind the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Timberwolves have now managed to put a bit of distance between themselves and the Clippers with this win as LA fell to 41-23. Minnesota has also won the season series 3-1 and holds the tiebreaker as a result, which might prove to be crucial come the end of the regular season.
Tyronn Lue Reveals Kawhi Leonard Has Been Dealing With Back Spasms For A Few Days
Getting back to Leonard, he would end up leaving the arena during the game, which suggested it wasn’t a very minor issue. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was asked about his star’s injury and revealed Leonard had been dealing with a back issue.
Tyronn Lue: “Yeah, he’s been dealing with it for a couple days, back spasms. Wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to go this morning but he came to shootaround, got some treatment, did what he had to do and try to get on the court and play today, but it didn’t loosen up for him.”
Lue later added that he was unsure whether Leonard would be available for their upcoming road trip. If he is going to miss a fair bit of time, the Clippers might be in a bit of trouble.
They have had a very good season so far, in large part because Kawhi has been relatively healthy. The 32-year-old has played 58 out of 64 games for the Clippers in 2023-24 and averaged 23.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.
While they would want him back on the court sooner rather than later, we have seen that the Clippers have been very cautious when it comes to Leonard. If a little bit more time off now ensures the back issues won’t flare up during the playoffs, then that’s the route they will go.
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