Wolves fend off Oklahoma City 106-103; Edwards leaves with hip injury
The fun of watching Anthony Edwards includes the possibility that Edwards will come up with an acrobatic, physics-defying dunk over one of his opponents. It's a move the Timberwolves guard has executed multiple times, and he knows how it can energize his team and the crowd.
But in Tuesday's 106-103 win over the Thunder, Edwards showed there's a risk that comes with that, and now the Wolves' promising start to the season faces its first challenge if Edwards is out for a period of time.
After trying to dunk over the Thunder's Kenrich Williams with 3 minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Edwards landed hard on the floor with his right hip taking a direct hit.
He remained there during the ensuing timeout and needed help getting back to the bench. After the timeout, he stayed in the game momentarily and shot the free throws owed to him. But after a few possessions, it was clear he had trouble moving. The Wolves called timeout and Edwards left for the locker room as he appeared to favor his right hip. He returned to the bench during the fourth quarter as the team announced he was questionable to return.
Edwards had brought the Wolves (13-4) back from a 12-point deficit with 12 third-quarter points, and without him they had to beat the Thunder (11-6), the team two games behind them in the Western Conference.
"He's got a hip contusion," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. "Turned the game around for us. [Oklahoma City is] a very tough team to play. [They] throw a lot of bodies at you when you put the ball on the deck."
Sign up for our Timberwolves Update newsletter
The Wolves overcame a slow shooting start to take a small fourth-quarter lead, a lead they got with Edwards (21 points) coming out in the third to score their first 11 points.
Edwards' absence created room for an unlikely hero Tuesday — Troy Brown Jr. Brown recently grabbed a spot in the rotation and played well enough to earn a spot in the closing lineup. The Wolves needed every bit of his 17 points and energy on defense. Brown hit a three to make the score 101-96 with 1:39 remaining and then drove for a layup to make it 103-98 with 31.6 seconds left. He hit one of two free throws with 4.5 to play.
"He's been playing really well for us," Finch said of Brown. "This is a process where he's played himself into this game. It was huge. The hustle plays, the rebounds and obviously the shot-making was huge. … Really love how he's been playing for us all season, whether it's three minutes, five minutes, 12 minutes."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a potential tying three-pointer as time ran out.
BOXSCORE: Timberwolves 106, Oklahoma City 103
Former Minnehaha Academy star Chet Holmgren scored 16 points on 6-for-20 shooting and had eight rebounds and six assists in his first game at Target Center as he tangled with Rudy Gobert (17 points, 16 rebounds) most of the night. Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 32 points while Josh Giddey, who continues to play while the NBA investigates a potential inappropriate relationship he had with a minor, had 10 points for the Thunder. The Wolves crowd booed Giddey every time he touched the ball.
The Wolves trailed 29-19 after one quarter as Gilgeous-Alexander began the night by hitting his first six shots for 12 points while the Wolves shot only 6-for-24 with five turnovers. The Wolves' 9-2 edge in second-chance points allowed them to stay within shouting distance of the Thunder in the first half even as Oklahoma City shot 54%. The Wolves trailed 61-53 at the half after shooting 40% and committing 11 turnovers.
The Wolves' defense greatly improved after halftime.
"Obviously the zone helped us a lot, but just more competitiveness on the ball," Finch said. "… We contested a lot better. I think they had 15 points on uncontested shots in the first. I think pretty much every shot was contested in the second half."
Edwards came out on fire in the second half before exiting because of his injury. He scored the first 11 points for the Wolves in the third quarter, but shortly after his hard fall, he was done for the night. His team was able to get by, and now all wait to see just how long he might be out.
