No one expected Anthony Edwards to play tonight after initial reports claimed that he may not be available until Game 4 of this series due to a bone bruise and hyperextension of his knee. However, he expedited his recovery timeline and managed to come off the bench in Game 1 itself as the Timberwolves stole a 104-102 victory on the road in San Antonio.
The 24-year-old star ended the game with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists while shooting 8-13 from the floor (61.5 FG%) and 2-3 from beyond the arc (66.6 3P%).
Despite a solid performance like this, the young star was not happy with the way he closed out the game. He spoke to the sideline reporter after the game and gave his honest assessment of his own performance.
“Aw, man! I made so many mistakes at the end of the game, I’m disappointed in myself,” said Edwards.
“For me, man, 75% of the game is my mind. My mind’s got to be where it needs to be, and in the last two minutes of the game, it wasn’t. I gave up two offensive rebounds, turned the ball over… but yeah, I’ll be better.”
“I’m disappointed in myself. I can’t give up two offensive rebounds to Champagnie. I may not be as athletic as I usually am, but I’ve got to be able to box out and make those small plays to win big-time games,” Edwards said before he walked off to the locker room.
Edwards nearly threw the game away with a costly possession that cut the game to a single possession with less than 40 seconds left in the game. Luckily for him, Julian Champagnie missed the final shot that could have won the Spurs the game.
Devin Vassell intercepts the bad inbound by Anthony Edwards, Dylan Harper hits the layup to cut the lead to 2, Harper grabs the rebound, and Julian Champagnie misses the potential game-winner at the buzzer (with replays)
Including postgame interview with Edwards, who said he was… pic.twitter.com/48q7suMWjH
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 5, 2026
At the postgame press conference, Edwards was asked to reflect on the final two minutes of the game that he previously spoke about.
“It was just game plan mistakes for me. Mental mistakes. We had some timeouts; I felt like I could have used one. I’m not really that good at taking the ball out of bounds, as I know. And I had two missed box-outs with a minute left on No. 30, Champagnie. So they were just game plan mistakes that won’t happen again,” Edwards boldly concluded.
The Timberwolves have managed to ruin Victor Wembanyama’s first triple-double in his playoff career for the Spurs. The French star had 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 blocks while shooting 5-17 from the floor (29.4 FG%) and missing all eight of his three-point shot attempts.
Despite stealing Game 1 on the road in San Antonio, the perfectionist that Edwards is, was not happy with his performance. So far in the playoffs, Edwards has averaged 18.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 40.0% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc.
For a player who averaged almost 29 points per game in the regular season (28.8 to be exact), Edwards has been playing like a shell of himself in terms of his athletic burst and speed on the floor. Edwards recognizes that while he is still dealing with injuries, there are some avenues where his mind and focus could still play a role in improving on the floor, which he can’t blame on the injuries.
He has boldly claimed that he would not make those mistakes again. It will be interesting to see how this win boosts his and the team’s morale to eventually steal the series from the Spurs.
