The Minnesota Timberwolves are continuing to battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and while Anthony Edwards is facing a period on the sidelines with an ankle injury, Karl-Anthony Towns has issued an indication that he’s ready to return to the court.
Edwards was injured after spraining his ankle in the second quarter of Friday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls and was screaming in pain before hobbling off the court.
Anthony Edwards is down in pain after appearing to sprain his right ankle. 🙏#RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/TTh6UZZqnl
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) March 18, 2023
The All-Star guard was seen in a walking boot at the end of the game and missed Saturday night’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, but Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said the injury was not as bad as initially feared.
“It’s always about how much [the ankle is] swelling and how quickly you can recover from that,” Finch said in an interview with Timberwolves play-by-play announcer Alan Horton.
“He’s not really able to test it in any meaningful way. But he’s tough and he’ll want to play. That’s how he’s built.”
The Athletic’s Shams Charania echoed Finch’s comments on Sunday morning, saying the team is considering him day-to-day.
Good news: Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards has exited a walking boot and is moving around more as swelling decreases in ankle sprain suffered Friday, per sources. Edwards is expected to be evaluated day-to-day on a return.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 19, 2023
Losing Edwards for a prolonged stretch would be a blow for the Timberwolves as the 21-year-old is averaging 24.7 points per game in his third season. But the Timberwolves can make up for that if Towns is ready to return from his own injury.
Towns has been out since Nov. 28 with a calf strain and his return table has been vague with times, ranging from an initial report of 4-6 weeks, to a press release from the team saying that Towns was participating in basketball activities and was expected to return “in the coming weeks.”
On Saturday, Towns hinted on social media that he’s waiting for clearance from the medical staff to return to action.
Me waiting to get cleared to play…..let the kid do what he loves 🏀 pic.twitter.com/WlDGNZ1Ctm
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) March 18, 2023
Towns was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists over 21 games before going down with his injury and was still adapting to playing next to fellow 7-footer Rudy Gobert.
Towns’ return could provide a big boost for the Timberwolves’ offense as they fight for playoff positioning. With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Minnesota is currently in eighth place in the Western Conference with a 35-37 record but is just 1.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks (36-35) for sixth place and an automatic playoff berth.
Conversely, the Timberwolves are in a three-way tie with Oklahoma City Thunder (34-36) and Utah Jazz (34-36) for the final spots in the play-in tournament and are a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (34-37), who are currently sitting in 11th place.
The injury woes do not help the Timberwolves’ chances, but the return of Edwards and Towns could be pivotal in their hopes for a playoff push.
