The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 to go up 3-1 in their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Saturday night.
But at what cost?
Timberwolves starting guard Donte DiVincenzo missed a three-pointer and crumpled to the floor when trying to run after his own rebound less than two minutes into the game.
Then, the Timberwolves lost All-NBA and All-Star guard Anthony Edwards to what the team described as a left knee injury suffered four minutes before halftime.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that DiVincenzo has already been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon, ending his season.
“Anthony Edwards is set to undergo tests on his injured left knee,” Charania additionally reported. “He had been playing through ‘runner’s knee’ in his other knee.”
Runner’s knee is the common term for patellofemoral pain syndrome, and Golden State Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry missed 27 games this season with the same condition. Edwards missed 11 games down the stretch of the regular season in late March and early April.
In DiVincenzo and Edwards’ absence, Ayo Dosunmu went off for a career-high 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the floor, including 5-of-5 from three. The Timberwolves backed up their hard-earned reputation as the scrappiest team in the NBA in Game 4.
But losing DiVincenzo and possibly Edwards for the rest of the season would be a devastating and likely insurmountable blow to their playoff hopes moving forward.
That said, if Edwards can somehow return, the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs are suddenly in a dogfight with the seventh-seeded Portland Trail Blazers. It wouldn’t be totally inconceivable to think that Minnesota could be a live dog in the second round, should they finish off Denver on Monday. Two straight Western Conference Finals appearances say to doubt these Wolves at your own risk.
After the win, Minnesota’s four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year joined “Inside the NBA” and shared the Timberwolves’ mentality. Watch the segment below.
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