Anthony Edwards Injury Shakes Timberwolves, Then Ayo Dosunmu Happened
The Minnesota Timberwolves grabbed a 3-1 first-round playoff series lead over the Denver Nuggets, but it came at a cost with star guard Anthony Edwards suffering a bone bruise and hyperextending his left knee, which will force him to miss multiple weeks.
Further testing on his knee ruled out any additional ligament damage, but Edwards will miss the rest of the series against the Nuggets.
The injury occurred in the second quarter of Saturday’s game after the All-Star guard landed awkwardly on his left leg, resulting in his left knee bending backward.
That wasn’t the only injury the Timberwolves suffered as guard Donte DiVencenzo tore his Achilles tendon less than two minutes into the game. Despite those significant losses, the Timberwolves managed to pull away for a comfortable win by outscoring the Nuggets 62-42 in the second half.
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Minnesota was led offensively by guard Ayo Dosunmu, putting forth a career-best playoff outing behind a playoff-best 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including going 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Dosunmu became the first player in NBA history to record at least 40 points on 75 percent shooting from the floor with five made 3-pointers and without a miss with at least 10 free throws attempted in any game.
The 26-year-old has been an offensive spark off the bench for the Timberwolves over the last two games, notching at least 25 points in each contest.
Minnesota will need more high-volume scoring from Dosunmu, along with collective offensive production from Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid in Edwards’ absence, to advance past the Nuggets.
