“Anthony Edwards absent at tip-off upon his return due to a personal matter”
DALLAS — Minnesota’s standout guard Anthony Edwards contributed 17 points in 23 minutes during the Timberwolves’ 124-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, despite initially being slated to start.
Although Edwards was included in the starting lineup and introduced to the audience, he was absent at the opening tip, with Mike Conley taking his place. Edwards eventually entered the game 2:01 into the first quarter.
Wolves head coach Chris Finch offered a straightforward reason for the change. “Nature calls,” he remarked.
“Mike had my back,” Edwards stated with a smile.
He expressed feeling “miserable” while waiting to play, describing his return as feeling “like a kid in a candy store.”
“Ant was fantastic, man,” Finch noted. “His defense was exceptional. He let the game unfold naturally. He remained aggressive and made quicker decisions, which made things appear relatively easy for him.”
Edwards, who is averaging a career-best 29.5 points in 35.5 minutes per game, returned after missing the last six games due to discomfort in his right knee.
To qualify for All-NBA consideration, Edwards must participate in all eight remaining games for the Wolves. He has placed seventh in MVP voting for the past two seasons.
Edwards has appeared in 58 games, but his 3 minutes and 8 seconds against Indiana on Oct. 26 do not count towards the NBA’s official records for games played.
Minnesota announced earlier on Monday that power forward Jaden McDaniels is week-to-week following an MRI that indicated left knee patella tendinopathy and a bone bruise. McDaniels, who is averaging a career-high 14.8 points per game, sustained the injury during Wednesday’s game and did not participate on Saturday.
