Just one quarter into the Western Conference finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves got an injury scare — and it concerned their best player.
With less than a minute to play in the period, All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards turned his right ankle while driving through the lane against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he landed on his foot, tweaking it.
After spending some minutes in the locker room, Edwards eventually returned to the floor and played the rest of the game, never appearing to be affected by the injury. Edwards, however, did struggle to find his shot and finished with just 18 points in the 114-88 Minnesota loss Tuesday night in Game 1 of the series.
Edwards was fouled on the play and immediately grabbed at his ankle. He appeared to be in some discomfort.
He stayed in the game and made one of his two free throw attempts after the injury. ESPN cameras showed that, after the quarter ended, Edwards went into the locker room, where he remained at the start of the second quarter.
Edwards, who averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season, had scored seven points on 2-of-3 shooting and added three rebounds before suffering the injury.
He made his return in the second quarter, jogging back through a hallway that connects to the locker room at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Edwards then did some light footwork on the sideline during a timeout and, with 7:01 left in the second quarter, he checked back in.
Edwards did not appear to be hobbled and collected a defensive rebound a few minutes after making his return and then later missed a floating bank shot.
Edwards drew significant attention from the Thunder defenders and had a difficult time asserting himself offensively. He played a team-high 36:34 and finished the game 5-of-13 from the field, including a 3-for-8 night from beyond the arc. He added nine rebounds and three assists in the loss.
When asked postgame if his ankle affected his shooting, Edwards was quick to say it did not.
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
(This story has been updated with new information).
