Anthony Edwards' heroics aren't enough as Timberwolves need to regroup ... again

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksMeet KAT's Biggest FanLottery Reform Is OverdueWhat Makes Up Championship DNA?Latest Mock DraftNBA Playoffs Minnesota's Anthony Edwards had 32 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the Timberwolves' Game 3 loss. David Berding / Getty Images Share articleMINNEAPOLIS — There was quiet in the Minnesota Timberwolves locker room after Game 3, and there was also resolve. The Wolves had just gone through a heavyweight fight with the San Antonio Spurs on their home floor, both teams understanding the importance of the game with the series tied 1-1. In the end, San Antonio prevailed in a 115-108 victory thanks to the brilliance of Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 monster in the middle who stood even taller on Friday night. No matter what the Timberwolves threw at Wembanyama, they could not stop him. He scored 16 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, hit two 3-pointers when they dared him to shoot from outside and blocked a couple of shots as well to carry the Spurs to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA second-round playoff series. In some ways, it feels like the Timberwolves are in deep trouble. Wembanyama has been a menace on both ends of the court in the last two games, but these young Spurs also look ready for the moment in a way that Minnesota was hoping they weren’t quite yet. Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell have been capable wingmen, and the Wolves have not been able to find a similar balance around Anthony Edwards. In other ways, the Timberwolves are comfortable. They always seem to do their best work when their backs are against the wall, and right now, Wembanyama has the Wolves’ shoulders scraping the bricks right behind them. That means they have only one thing left to do. “Punch back,” Naz Reid said. “It’s how you respond that determines what type of team you are, what type of person you are. … Everybody can throw blows, it’s how you respond. We do well in that aspect, and I think that’s kind of just who we are.” That is going to have to be who they are going into Game 4 Sunday at Target Center. They are going to have to shoot better, play better transition defense and hope that Wembanyama has an off-kilter offensive night similar to the one he had in Minnesota’s Game 1 victory. Edwards had 32 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while playing on two bad knees. Reid had 18 points, nine boards and five assists, and the Wolves played the 62-win Spurs dead even for three of the four quarters on Friday night. However, the Spurs’ 35-28 third-quarter advantage proved to be the difference. Now, Minnesota finds itself in a hole. The Wolves shot 38 percent in Game 3, including a wretched 2 of 16 start that saw them score one point in the first seven minutes. They did not get their first field goal until there was 5:12 left in the opening quarter, thanks to a dominant start by Wembanyama, who had nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in the first eight minutes. Minnesota trailed by as many as 15 points in the first, but Edwards hit two huge 3s at the end of the period, and the defense started to string together stops midway through to allow the Wolves to rejoin the fight, trailing by one to start the second. They were still down only three with 3:27 to play in the game, but Wembanyama hit a 3, De’Aaron Fox hit a couple of free throws and Dylan Harper closed it out at the line. “I think we did a great job of penetrating and kicking and getting great looks from the floor,” Edwards said. “I just didn’t think we did a great job of making our shots. We got a lot of shots and we just gotta be able to knock them down.” Now the Timberwolves need to throw everything they have at the Spurs on Sunday night. Go down 3-1, head back to San Antonio for Game 5 and the series might be over. But if they can pull together and even the series, anything can happen. Three games in, some themes are starting to emerge. Some of them are promising for the Timberwolves. Others, not so much. In the hours leading up to the game, Edwards sat down with his head coach to discuss the plan for managing his ailing knees. Edwards had been on a minutes restriction in the first two games in an effort to reduce the stress on both knees, but particularly the hyperextension and bone bruise in his left one. The Wolves were coming off a drubbing in Game 2, and Edwards knew what would be required in their first home game of the series. “I told coach, however many minutes you need me to play tonight, I’ll do it,” Edwards said. After playing 49 total minutes in a bench role during the first two games, Edwards returned to the starting lineup and played nearly 41 minutes in Game 3. He went 12 of 26 from the field, got to the line for six free throws and blocked a shot. He is still missing some of the burst and acceleration that make him one of the most difficult players to guard in the league, but he is finding a way to be effective. “I feel good,” he said with a smile. He did appear to run out of gas as the game went on, though. He scored just five points in the game’s final eight minutes, the last three coming when the game was all but decided. However, as long as he doesn’t tweak his knee injuries again, he should get stronger as the week progresses. “He was awesome,” coach Chris Finch said. “He was great. It was good. He needed that, we needed that and he’s battling back to find a game like this. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the result that went along with it.” Ayo Dosunmu was also able to play 32 minutes after missing Game 1 with a calf injury and leaving Game 2 in the second quarter with a right heel injury. He was not the same player who scored 43 points to beat Denver in Game 4 of the first round, but as the game went on, he appeared to gain more trust in his body. He turned the ball over four times, but also scored 11 points, hit three 3s, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. “I came out of the game, felt healthy. By the grace of God, I was able to knock some rust off,” Dosunmu said. “I was just excited to be out there.” Reid’s shoulder appears to be improving as well. He hit four 3s and blocked two shots in 32 minutes on Friday night, showing few ill effects from his injury. “Pain is just weakness leaving the body,” Reid cracked. The Wolves miss Donte DiVincenzo a great deal, but if Edwards, Reid and Dosunmu can get healthy, the Wolves will be in business. After three games, Finch is starting to get a large enough sample size to provide some clarity on what his rotation should look like. Mike Conley started again on Friday night, but he played just four minutes. The 38-year-old played very well in the first-round win over Denver, but this matchup against a young, big and aggressive Spurs backcourt doesn’t suit him as well. Finch did not put him back in the game after pulling him early, going with Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. in that spot. Shannon played great. He only scored five points, but the Wolves outscored the Spurs by 19 in his 29 minutes on the floor, a gargantuan number in a game Minnesota lost by seven. That means they lost the 13 minutes he sat on the bench by 26 points. “He was huge coming in when we made that run fighting back in,” Finch said. “He played great. I probably should’ve gone with him down the stretch to give us another handler alongside Ant.” Shannon has only turned the ball over twice in these playoffs, a pleasant surprise given how much time he has spent with the ball in his hands. Bones Hyland, who went scoreless in his previous three playoff games and has looked at times to be physically overmatched in this series, did not play, nor did Jaylen Clark. When things get tight, Finch usually shrinks the rotation. Seeing him play seven in such an important game was not surprising, but Shannon does have to play even more on Sunday to give the Wolves their best chance to win. Randle was at his bully ball best in Game 1, bulldozing his way to 21 points and 10 rebounds to help Minnesota power through to a victory. However, he’s struggled in the two straight losses, shooting 40 percent from the field, including 3 of 12 on Friday night. Randle turned the ball over 10 times in the first two games and got that down to two in Game 3, but he was 0 of 3 from 3-point range and grabbed six rebounds. Randle has often struggled with physical, handsy defenders and the Spurs have plenty of those. Jaden McDaniels couldn’t buy a bucket either, going 5 of 22 from the field. But he played really good defense and grabbed four offensive rebounds as well, mitigating some of his defensive shortcomings. After the impressive showing in Game 1, Randle has had a hard time finding his groove. He had 12 points and five assists in Game 2 and zero assists in Game 3, a damning impression. He has seemed to be as bothered by Wembanyama’s size and long arms as anyone on the team. Randle’s overall struggles and McDaniels’ inefficiency left too much on Edwards’ plate on offense. Even with Edwards appearing to get stronger as the series extends, someone else has to show up to the party. There are definitely things the Timberwolves can do better to even this series. But make no mistake, the Spurs have been the better team for the vast majority of the minutes played in these three games. They dominated Minnesota in a Game 2 laugher, then came out and led 18-3 in the first eight minutes of Game 3. The Wolves spoke with confidence and bravado after winning Game 1, proclaiming they would continue to challenge Wembanyama at the rim, even though he had 12 blocks. Wemby has blocked two shots in each of the following two games, but he has been just as impactful. The Wolves rushed shots in and around the paint all night because Wembanyama was always lurking. “They got somebody who is 7-6 on the floor, and he takes up a lot of space,” Edwards quipped. “So just trying to find ways to find an open man around him because in the paint, he’s just everywhere. So just gotta find ways to find who’s open.” Wembanyama is also getting stellar defensive efforts from Castle, Harper and Vassell, helping the Spurs set a physical, competitive tone. Randle and Co. had success against Wembanyama in Game 1, forcing him into 5-of-17 shooting, including 0 of 8 from 3. When the big man is hitting 3s as he did on Friday night, a helpless feeling can set in. “It’s how you respond,” Reid said. “We’ve never been a team to just roll over, though. I know that for a fact.”  Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms