‘Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards helped off with ankle injury

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anthony edwards

Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards was helped off the court after suffering a right ankle injury during the first quarter of Friday night’s 139-131 loss to the Bulls in double overtime.

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anthony edwards

Anthony Edwards landed awkwardly and collapsed to the floor after leaving his feet to deliver a pass to Mike Conley for a 3-pointer with 4:01 remaining in the quarter. Edwards screamed in pain and immediately began grabbing his right ankle. He didn’t put any weight on the leg as a team trainer and injured teammate Karl-Anthony Towns helped carry him toward the locker room.

The Timberwolves announced at halftime that Edwards would not return to the game, but he rejoined the team near the end of the fourth quarter to cheer from the bench while wearing a protective boot.

Neither Edwards nor Timberwolves coach Chris Finch provided any clarity on the severity of the injury after the game, but Edwards said he was feeling OK and was hopeful he would not be sidelined for long.

“I couldn’t walk on it, so I knew it was a wrap,” Edwards said. “See how it feels tomorrow.”

The Timberwolves announced that Edwards was questionable to play in Saturday’s game in Toronto.

Minnesota dropped to 35-36 and the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference following Friday’s loss as the Timberwolves fight for a playoff spot.

Edwards played eight minutes Friday night and went 3-of-4 from the field for eight points and an assist. He has played in all 71 games this season for Minnesota, the only player on the team to do so.

The Timberwolves are already without star big man Towns, who has been out since Nov. 28 with a calf injury. The team announced earlier this week that Towns is expected to return in the coming weeks.

“We know that no one’s going to help us,” Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert said about the possibility of playing without Edwards. “We all we got. So we’ve just got to go out there, keep putting in the work, keep enjoying it and just learn from this situation. Win a game when we’re in position to win a game.”

Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, was an All-Star for the first time in his career this season. He is averaging 24.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field, all of which are career highs.

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