DENVER — Anthony Edwards pulled a baseball cap over his head after the worst evening of his younger postseason profession — a 5-for-15 exhibiting in a 112-97 loss in Recreation 5 of the Western Convention semifinals Tuesday evening that left his Minnesota Timberwolves getting ready to elimination — and had one final little bit of banter with a member of the Denver Nuggets earlier than making his exit.
This time, the Wolves’ 22-year-old star was participating a Nuggets locker room attendant, citing a dialog the 2 had after Recreation 2, when Minnesota had jumped to a seemingly commanding 2-0 sequence lead.
“You jinxed us,” Edwards stated with a sly smile.
“I appreciated our probabilities,” the locker room attendant chirped again. “What do you count on me to say, Ant?”
Edwards nodded and delivered a response containing the identical confidence along with his Wolves down 3-2 that the attendant had when the defending champions had been down 0-2 greater than per week in the past.
“See you Recreation 7,” Edwards replied.
From the skin, Minnesota may be in a free fall — dropping the previous three video games by a mixed 50 factors and seeing its impenetrable protection from the common season be picked aside by league MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets — however the Wolves say they nonetheless have life in them.
“It comes right down to Recreation 6 at residence and that is precisely the place we need to be,” Wolves coach Chris Finch stated. “A whole lot of recreation, plenty of sequence left, we have to pressure it right into a Recreation 7, however most significantly, we have to regroup, get guys specializing in what we have to do they usually’ve been good at that each one season. So, we’ll be prepared.”
Edwards, who had averaged 33.3 factors on 60.4% taking pictures by way of the primary 4 video games of the sequence, admitted that Denver’s defensive consideration on him in Recreation 5 was rather a lot to cope with. The Nuggets had been in a position to blanket the taking pictures guard with further consideration and a number of defenders all recreation partially as a result of they did not have to fret about Wolves level guard Mike Conley.
Conley was dominated out due to a sore proper Achilles, giving Minnesota one much less ball handler to soak up the stress targeted on Edwards.
“This was loopy,” Edwards stated of the Nuggets’ schemes centered on stopping him after he went 1-for-8 within the first half and completed with 18 factors, 9 assists and 4 turnovers. “Right now was loopy, for certain. Yeah, immediately was wild.”
Conley landed awkwardly on his proper leg whereas trying a nook 3 late in Recreation 4 and was unable to play Tuesday after testing out his Achilles throughout pregame warmups.
“We’re hopeful Mike can go in Recreation 6,” Finch stated. “That was one of many causes to be cautious with him proper right here, feeling that he might go [on Thursday].”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who had been simply 10-for-27 from the sector with 6 assists within the sequence coming into Recreation 5, scored 14 factors on 5-for-12 taking pictures with 5 assists beginning in Conley’s place.
“Nickeil did a terrific job of filling in there within the beginning position,” Finch stated. “It could have been nice to have Mike on the market and Nickeil off the bench, however we did not have that. However Nickeil did a very good job.”
When requested by ESPN about his standing for Recreation 6 on Tuesday evening, Conley declined to reply.
Karl-Anthony Cities, who led Minnesota with 23 factors on 10-for-19 taking pictures after struggling in Recreation 4, stated that the Wolves are battle-tested for this second.
“Adversity has been one thing we have answered all yr,” Cities stated. “It is one thing that if I used to be to undergo this with anybody, I’d undergo it with these guys on this locker room. I’ve full confidence in these guys, I’ve full confidence in our locker room, I’ve confidence in our teaching employees.
“Everybody has been great all yr. It is now time to place all that have and that unity we have constructed all through the entire yr, even final yr, and put it on the desk and play our greatest basketball so we can provide ourselves an opportunity to deliver again Recreation 7 right here.”
Edwards expressed related confidence when he spoke to reporters as he did when he spoke to the locker room attendant.
“Tremendous excited,” Edwards stated. “You get to compete. Get to go residence and play with our backs towards the wall. It ought to be enjoyable.”
