Anthony Edwards was not a happy man after the Minnesota Timberwolves lost 116-115 to the Golden State Warriors. He spoke after the game and called out the starting lineup for not playing hard enough. He claimed that he and the rest of the starters do not start the game with the right energy, and often rely on the bench players to bring the effort in most of their games.
“The starting five, we are terrible. Every game we come out low energy and the second group comes in and gives us energy. I would say the starting group gotta come out with more energy like we want to play the game of basketball like we love the game.”
Edwards certainly did not hold back on the Timberwolves starting lineup. It should be mentioned that Ant did not exclude himself in these comments, and was talking about the entire starting five. Clearly, there is a lot of frustration in the former first-overall pick as the leader of the team.
Despite the comments, Edwards did play well, putting up 28 points (7-19 FG), eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. So it certainly wasn’t Edwards that let the team down in the grand scheme of the game tonight. Donte DiVincenzo, another starter for the Timberwolves tonight, matched Edwards’ output, delivering 28 points (9-19 FG), six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Julius Randle had an average contribution, putting up 17 points (8-18 FG), six rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Jaden McDaniels had 14 points (6-9 FG), four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks. Once again, it was Rudy Gobert who was the biggest disappointment as a starter, scoring just seven points (2-2 FG), 10 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.
Naz Reid was the player who came off the bench to bring the most energy, putting up 15 points (5-13 FG), six rebounds, one assist, and one block. The starting lineup might have strong numbers, but they did themselves no favors in the first quarter, falling behind by as many as 24 points.
Their increased level of scoring wasn’t enough for them to be able to turn things around and make a comeback.
Edwards Looks Back At Failed Comeback
Anthony Edwards also spoke about how close the Timberwolves made the game. He noted that their ability to fight has never been in question. Rather, it is their inability to close games, despite how close they made things, that has caused problems. But regardless of the failed comeback, Edwards is proud of his team for fighting.
“We know we gotta get better, but I think it’s all about the finish. Not moral victories, but we fought. We was down 10 to 32 in the first quarter. You’d have thought it was going to be like New York. But we fought, so I’m proud of that.”
The Timberwolves certainly made the game close in the fourth quarter. What was once a 24-point lead for the Warriors got cut down to nothing. With the game tied 108-108 and 1:07 seconds remaining, the Timberwolves had a chance to steal the win and complete an incredible comeback.
But they weren’t able to close things out, as Stephen Curry would make an incredible three to give the Warriors the lead once again. And from there, despite the Timberwolves’ efforts to fight back, scoring seven points in the final minute of the game, the Warriors were able to hold on to win the game.
Anthony Edwards, for all of his frustration and his sadness, will be happy he didn’t use any profane language on television this time, as it earned him a $50,000 fine the last time he did. Speaking about the fine, Edwards simply said that it was a dumb mistake that he attributes to his youth.
The Timberwolves need to fix their effort problem, along with a host of other concerns, sooner rather than later. With the NBA now entering the second half of the season, they don’t have much time left. And if they don’t, fans will have to see last year’s Western Conference finalists fall far before they did last time.
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