Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards received a clothesline from Nikola Jokic in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets. While unintentional on Jokic’s end, who went over to apologize, it was evident that Edwards took the act personally.
The Nuggets enjoyed a comfortable lead throughout the game against Minnesota. With a 29-point lead midway through the fourth, the Nuggets were coasting towards an easy win. However, a botched offensive possession for Denver led to some interesting events.
After Jamal Murray had his pocket picked by Edwards, the Timberwolves guard set himself up to score in Denver’s half. Guarded by Jokic on the perimeter, Edwards tried to use his speed advantage to get past the reigning MVP.
Jokic’s slow response to the sudden change in direction forced him to flail his arms out. Unfortunately, this resulted in Edwards being brought hard to the floor.
Anthony Edwards was slow to get up after taking the hit, for obvious reasons. However, when he attempted to resurface, the Minnesota guard was visibly heated with Jokic’s attempt on the ball.
Jokic tried to help Edwards up. He was docked with one flagrant penalty, which was also his fifth foul of the game at this point. In a wild turn of events, Jokic would also foul out shortly after.
However, Jokic’s departure didn’t spell disaster for the Nuggets given their massive lead. Although Edwards tried to cut into it, the Timberwolves were blown out in Game 1.
Anthony Edwards held to 18 points
The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a crushing 80-109 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Considering that Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic only notched 13 points and 14 rebounds for the game, it was evident that Minnesota were simply outmatched.
Evidence of this lies in Minnesota’s offensive output. Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns was restricted to 11 points on the night as he shot an abysmal 5-15 from the field.
With the star struggling offensively, Anthony Edwards was required to step up and take charge. Unfortunately, Edwards, who led Minnesota in scoring, could only put up 18 points in the game.
“Ant” tried to take matters into his own hands by putting pressure on Denver’s defense. However, his frustration was evident as he settled for ill-advised shots and missed big on some crucial attempts.
The Timberwolves were held to their lowest scoring total this season. While this could be a testament to Denver’s defense, it is an equally telling sign of Minnesota’s fatigue.
With hopes of keeping their postseason alive, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will need to recalibrate and reset the tone soon.
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