Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Minnesota Timberwolves stole Game 1 in San Antonio despite their star guard playing limited minutes due to injury.
- His availability for Game 2 remains uncertain, with the team preparing for possible minute restrictions or a bench role.
- The Wolves' depth will be tested again as they try to build on their road win against the league's top defensive talent.
The story of Game 1 was Victor Wembanyama setting an NBA Playoffs record with 12 blocks, and the San Antonio Spurs still coming up short. The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to steal Game 1 on the road, 104-102, even with their star guard Anthony Edwards playing just 25 minutes. It's incredible that he was even able to play, after suffering a bone bruise in Game 4 of the first round against the Nuggets, an injury that was supposed to take weeks to heal.
The Timberwolves were clearly protecting Edwards by limiting him to just 25 minutes in Game 1 but they might need a lot more from him to steal another win from the Spurs. Unfortunately, it's still an open question what they'll get from him tonight.
Anthony Edwards is questionable for Game 2 against the Spurs
Edwards is listed as questionable on the official injury report as of this morning. While it seems likely that he'll at least try to play, his minutes could be limited. The good news for Wolves fans is that he looked pretty effective and a minute restriction is probably a bigger worry than him struggling because of residual effects of the injury.
In Game 1, he drove nine times in 25 minutes, shooting 4-of-6 off those drives and recording another three assists. For a team that often shares responsibility for shot creation and is facing the most feared interior defender in the entire league, having Edwards on the floor and able to create for himself and others is huge.
Even with Wembanyama in the middle and swatting back a record number of shots, the Timberwolves created plenty of advantages by going right at him and they'll likely want to keep the same formula in Game 2, at least until San Antonio forces some kind of adjustment.
Projected Timberwolves starting lineup and depth chart with Anthony Edwards
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Mike Conley | PG | Bones Hyland |
Anthony Edwards | SG | Terrence Shannon Jr. |
Jalen McDaniels | SF | Terrence Shannon Jr. |
Julius Randle | PF | Naz Reid |
Rudy Gobert | C | Naz Reid |
The Timberwolves have a short postseason that has gotten even shorter because of injuries. Edwards came off the bench in Game 1 and Terrence Shannon started in his place, just as he did in Game 6 against the Nuggets. Mike Conley has also taken over the starting point guard spot since Donte DiVincenzo ruptured his Achilles in Game of the first-round.
If Edwards can't go in Game 2 or comes off the bench again on a minutes restriction, it's likely Shannon stays in that starting spot and both he and and Conley have been extremely strong in the postseason. Shannon has been averaging 14.5 points per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the field and providing a ton of value with his aggressive shot creation off the dribble. In the three games since DiVincenzo went down, Conley has averaged 7.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds, hitting 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Bones Hyland is another wild-card backcourt scorer off the bench and, as in the regular season, Naz Reid will likely operate as the third big, taking any power forward or center minutes when Gobert or Randle are on the bench.
In all, the Timberwolves have the depth to go toe-to-toe with the Spurs, even without DiVincenzo. They were able to steal Game 1, even without Edwards at full strength. If he's anywhere close to the height of his powers in Game 2, they have a chance to put the Spurs in a big hole.
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