The Minnesota Timberwolves have found themselves on the brink of elimination after Monday night's Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, now looking to become one of the very few teams (13 in NBA playoff history) to climb out of a 3-1 series hole.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards had a very quiet night in the 128-126 defeat, as he got locked up by the Thunder's swarming defense all game long. OKC's stifling game plan to prevent Edwards from getting hot succeeded from the start, when Edwards took just two shots from the floor in the first half. The 23-year-old went on to finish with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting, with as many turnovers as he had field goals. Edwards's five field goals were tied for the second-fewest he's ever had in a career playoff game.
After Game 4's disappointing loss, Edwards was asked whether he thought he struggled against the Thunder, given his relatively unimpressive statline.
Edwards stubbornly refused to say so and instead gave one of his signature confident takes on his game:
"I don't look at it like I struggled... They 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," Edwards said.
In the first half in particular, the Thunder turned on the intensity in guarding Edwards, often double-teaming the Timberwolves star when he had the ball and immediately collapsing on his drives. That in turn led to more open shots for his teammates, but the Thunder arguably got what they wanted by taking Minnesota's biggest offensive threat out of the game.
Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23) and Jayden McDaniels (22) finished as the team's top scorers instead while Edwards was frequently seen watching his team's offense develop from the side.
Edwards might have to be a tad more aggressive to stave off elimination in Game 5, which is Wednesday night at Paycom Center.
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