The Spurs Fiesta fandango at the Frost Bank Center didn’t intimidate Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
In fact, it motivated him.
“Everybody got on pink, blue, chanting ‘Go, Spurs, Go.’ I’m with Minnesota, I got Minnesota’s back at all times. I’m out there with my brothers and we’re going to war.”
Playing under a minutes restriction, Edwards scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter in his dramatic return from the knee injury that forced him to miss the final two-plus games of the Timberwolves’ six-game first-round series against Denver.
“His ability to bounce back and gives us whatever he had out there was huge,” said Minnesota forward Julius Randle, who had his first double-double of the playoffs with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Minnesota expected the four-time All-Star to miss the first two games against the Spurs after he suffered a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee on April 25. But he fought his way back onto the court to boost a team that was without guards Donte DiVincenzo (ruptured right Achilles tendon) and Ayo Dosunmu (right calf soreness).
“Nobody expected him to play,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “It was just his level of commitment to the game. Not just to the game, but to his teammates. It showed a lot.”
The Spurs said they weren’t caught off guard by Edwards’ return.
“We practiced as if he was playing,” forward Julian Champagnie said. “He’s a great player. There was no difference in strategy.”
Edwards finished 8 of 13 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range in 25 minutes.
“I know for a fact, just me being out there, it calms everybody down,” Edwards said. “Not saying there’s any pressure on any of my teammates, but it takes pressure off of everybody just knowing I’m out there, I’m available to play, yeah. And just doing what I do best, just trying to put the ball in the hoop.”
It’s uncertain whether Minnesota coach Chris Finch will return Edwards to the starting lineup for Game 2.
No matter how they use him, Edwards will keep coming at the Spurs hard. That was clear in the first quarter when he turned to the Spurs bench and shouted, “I’m back! I’m back!” after he sank his first 3 with 1:27 left in the first period.
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson, who finished with 11 points, had a few back-and-forth trash talking sessions with Edwards.
“You expect him to just be quiet the whole game? That takes away from the competitiveness of the game,” Johnson said. “You never shy away from the competition. You go out there to compete day in, day out. And if we get to talk a little bit, then that’s fine. That’s a part of the game of basketball.”
Said Spurs guard Dylan Harper of Edwards, “Superstar in this league. He’s going to come back and have games like that even though he hasn’t played for a little bit.”
Even with all those fans in Fiesta colors rooting against him.