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Anthony Edwards returned to playoff action Saturday and acknowledged the physical and mental challenges after the Minnesota Timberwolves fell 116-105 to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 at Ball Arena.
“Yeah. No, I felt good. I mean, a little fatigued,” Edwards said. “I haven’t played in like a month, month and a half, so a little fatigued, but that was expected. Other than that, I felt good.”
The All-Star guard finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, but pointed to late-game execution as the deciding factor.
“A couple just mental errors in the game that we’re going to correct going into the next game,” he said. “Yeah, a couple turnovers that we shouldn’t have had.”
Minnesota erased a double-digit deficit and cut the margin to a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, yet could not close.
“I feel like we did. I feel like we fought back,” Edwards said. “I think we cut it to like two maybe. But yeah, just a couple game plan mistakes that we shouldn’t have had.”
Edwards dismissed fatigue as a shooting factor despite going 7-of-19 from the field.
“No, it didn’t affect my shot. Just didn’t fall,” he said.
The Timberwolves generated strong ball movement early, but it declined after halftime as Denver took control with a 17-2 third-quarter run.
“I don’t know. Yeah, I got to go watch the film,” Edwards said. “I thought the ball was still kind of moving, but Finchy said the same thing.”
The 24-year-old also addressed the physical nature of the game, which featured 42 fouls and a 30-19 free-throw disparity.
“No, not really. I mean, we expected it to be a game like this,” Edwards said. “If that’s the case, then we wasn’t mentally ready.”
He added, “We knew how it was going to go and yeah, they’re going to get foul calls and we might not get none and that’s okay.”
Denver’s defensive scheme forced the ball out of Edwards’ hands, leading to increased playmaking responsibility.
“They play me, pick and roll, two on the ball. If I try to iso, two on the ball,” he said. “So, just trying to get off of it.”
Edwards embraced that adjustment, noting his assist total.
“I feel like I moved the ball pretty good. Found my teammates,” he said. “I think they just did a pretty good job of stopping our runs.”
He also highlighted Jamal Murray’s impact, particularly at the free-throw line.
“He shot on what, 19, how many free throws he didn’t shoot? 16 for 16 from the free throw line,” Edwards said. “So, I mean, that helped him a lot.”
Defensively, Edwards contributed three early blocks and emphasized effort across the floor.
“My shot wasn’t falling, so I was trying to do other things,” he said.
Despite the loss, Edwards stressed the long-term outlook of the series.
“It’s game one,” he said. “It’s a long series. It’s first to win four games, not one.”
Minnesota will look to adjust in Game 2, with Edwards emphasizing composure and execution.
“We should be ready next game to come out here and do what we got to do to get a win,” he said.
