Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Anthony Edwards reacts during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are at home for tomorrow night’s game against the Houston Rockets.
The contest promises to be critical when the Western Conference seedings become final in a few weeks. But the Timberwolves also have other concerns to be pressed with at this time.
Minnesota is coming off a highly impressive road victory over the Boston Celtics, whom many are ready to see claim the Eastern Conference crown in late May. The Wolves managed to win a game they were expected to lose because they were playing without their best player.
A week ago today, the franchise announced star guardAnthony Edwards would get looked at again in seven days. That day has arrived.
The 24-year-old sustained a knee injury and has been sidelined the last four games. Edwards last played in Minnesota’s blowout road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Minnesota Timberwolves Announce Anthony Edwards’ Status
Entering today, many Wolves fans were hopeful the face of the franchise would receive a positive injury update.
Edwards’ knee injury isn’t major but considerable. With the season coming down to its final few games, now is the worst time to suffer an injury setback and, even worse, limp into the postseason. Both parties want to make sure Edwards enters the spring tournament at no less than 100% health.
But for now, Minnesota will have to go at least one more game without Edwards in the lineup. The four-time All-Star has beenruled out of tomorrow night’s game against the Rockets.
Edwards’ absence can be potentially brutal for the Wolves, who are in danger of losing a game to a team they are currently fighting against to win home court advantage this postseason.
All these games down the last leg are monumental for playoff positioning, but the Wolves aren’t looking to rush their star back just yet.
Minnesota Hopes to Establish Consistency Before Postseason
By all accounts, it has been an up-and-down 2025-26 season for the same team that has gone to two straight Western Conference finals.
After the team caught a bit of a hot stretch toward the middle of the season, it hasn’t been smooth sledding as of late.
Since March 5, the Wolves are a .500 basketball team. They’ve gone 5-5, and some of those five losses were executed in lousy, forgettable fashion. That was with Edwards healthy in the lineup, but Minnesota wants to put that behind it and generate some velocity entering April.
Considering the standard the Wolves have set the last couple of years, even a second round exit would be chalked up as a failed season.
Minnesota’s roster is somewhat funky; it has a bonafide star in Edwards but no true second option. The team plays strong defensively and has shown it can be explosive from the 3-point line, but high volume perimeter shooting games almost seem too few and far between.
It is next to unheard of for a team led by a 24-year-old star and no true co-star to win a championship. That’s not to say the Wolves are complete busts and a longshot to get back to the conference finals, but there is plenty of evidence showing the franchise is short a few pieces before it can really position itself as a serious threat to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
For now, it is all about closing the regular season strong. The Wolves currently occupy the fifth seed in the West. However, they are also only two games behind the third seed.
Oh, and they are also only four games above the first play-in spot.
Things are really tricky this time of year in the wild, wild West. How Minnesota responds in this final stretch will say a lot about its ceiling this year.