The Timberwolves went down in a nail-biting loss to the Thunder at home in a grueling game that ended with the result 128-126 in OKC's favor. Anthony Edwards took only 13 shots in the game for his 16 points, going 5 of 13 from the floor and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc. Julius Randle, their second-highest scorer, only had 5 points and 5 turnovers.
Edwards, however, does not view this performance as a struggle. He spoke to the media after the game about whether he viewed this performance as a struggle. They asked him about his performance, along with Randle's. He said:
“I don't look at it like I struggled or he struggled. They just had a good game plan, making us get off the ball, especially for me, man, it was super in the gaps. I made the right play all night, so I don't really look at it like I struggled. I didn't get enough shots to say I struggled. That might be how you guys look at it, but yeah, I didn't struggle at all, it's just I made the right play.”
Edwards averaged 26.5 points per game in the Playoffs this season in the first two rounds against the Lakers and Warriors. Now having two games with scores below 20 points (Games 1 and 4 of the series), his average has fallen to 25.8 points per game.
The reporter simply asked what it was like to have Randle and Edwards both struggling on the same night for the Wolves. There was no absence of merit in that question, as Randle and Edwards provided 43.8% of the team's scoring (50.4 points per game combined while averaging 114 as a team). Therefore, both of them having a subpar night on the same day is an incident worth asking about.
What Does This Mean For The Timberwolves?
I understand that athletes are expected to have a short memory in terms of forgetting their upsets and moving on to the next thing. I understand that basketball players don't dwell on missed shots. But not admitting you had a bad night after going 1 of 7 (14.2%) from three while claiming to be a good three-point shooter is a different level of denial.
The Timberwolves will expect that even if publicly Edwards didn't acknowledge it as a bad night for him, he privately understands the consequences of his actions. The team needs him to show up in clutch moments at least, if not carry the offensive load for the team, for them to win.
The Timberwolves are now in a worrying position, having gone down 1-3 to the Thunder in this series. Only 2% of teams in NBA history have come back from this position, making it next to impossible that the Wolves pull it off. However, if they are to have any hope of doing that, they need Edwards and Randle to be more efficient with their shot-making, if not take the majority of the shots.
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