Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks with a bone bruise and hyperextended left knee, per ESPN. The All-Star guard sustained the injury in Game 4 of Minnesota's first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. The Wolves, who also lost starting guard Donte DiVincenzo in the game to a torn Achilles, went on to win Game 4 and lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.
The injury occurred in the second quarter, when Edwards elevated to challenge Cam Johnson's shot at the rim. As he landed, his leg locked up, and he immediately fell to the ground, grabbing at his left knee in pain. He was helped to the locker room as he couldn't put any weight on the leg, and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
INJURY DISASTER FOR THE WOLVES π π π Minnesota's Anthony Edwards hyperextends his knee after contesting a lay up, a quarter after teammate Donte DiVincenzo went down with an apparent Achilles injury. #NBAPlayoffs #AnthonyEdwards pic.twitter.com/R22MfTWzTk
There was some initial fear that Edwards suffered a more significant injury, but imaging confirmed there was no ligament damage to the knee.
While they still managed to come away with a 112-96 win in Game 4, thanks to Ayo Dosunmu putting on a superhero cape to record the most points (43) by a reserve in 50 years, the rest of the postseason becomes much more daunting for the Timberwolves.
If the Wolves to finish off the Nuggets without Edwards, they'll likely be facing Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the second round. That was always going to be an uphill battle for the Wolves, but the mismatch will be even more magnified now that Edwards will miss several weeks.
Second-round series will begin by May 5 and stretch through mid-May. Edwards' multi-week recovery timeline means he'd likely miss at least the first four or five games of a second-round series and could be sidelined for the entire round.
Wolves this season with and without Anthony Edwards (including playoffs)
The Timberwolves are hoping to make the Western Conference finals for the third consecutive year. But they'll have to win more games without their superstar to get there.