The Minnesota Timberwolves lost star Anthony Edwards in the opening minutes of their 114-110 win with the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
Edwards started the contest at the Target Center, but he lasted just three minutes before he was replaced by Bones Hyland. Edwards walked back to the locker room, and then the team ruled him out quickly with what the Wolves called right hamstring tightness.
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Further specifics of his injury are not yet known. Edwards had five points and a rebound after shooting 2-of-5 from the field before he went down.
Edwards scored 41 points and seven rebounds in the Timberwolves’ season-opener last week, and then he had 31 in their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in Southern California. Edwards grabbed at his hamstring a few times during that contest, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, but he continued playing normally without incident.
Edwards averaged a career-high 27.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season, his fifth in the league, while earning his third straight All-Star nod. The 24-year-old is in the second year of a five-year, $244.6 million deal with the franchise, which he’s helped lead to the Western Conference finals in back-to-back seasons.
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Despite losing Edwards early, the Timberwolves still held on down the stretch to grab the four-point win in their home opener, which moved them to 2-1 on the year. Julius Randle led the way with 31 points and six assists. Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 19 rebounds, and Donte DiVincenzo added 17 points.
Pascal Siakam nearly had a triple-double for the Pacers in the loss, which dropped them to 0-3 on the season. He had 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while shooting 11-of-24 from the field. Aaron Nesmith added 18 points, too. They were the only Pacers starters to hit double figures.
It’s still unclear how long Edwards will be sidelined, if at all. The Timberwolves will host the Denver Nuggets next on Monday and the Lakers on Wednesday.