Anthony Edwards warned teammates not to “come out cool,” yet the Minnesota Timberwolves lost 133-95 to the recharged San Antonio Spurs in Game 2, per the report, a defeat that evened the series at 1-all.
The report says Minnesota managed just 17 first-quarter points and 18 in the second, turned the ball over 22 times, trailed by 24 at the half and ultimately fell into a 47-point hole in the 38-point loss.
“We came out cool,” Edwards said. “Look what happened. My momma used to tell me that a hard head make a soft ass. That’s what happened tonight.” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told his team after the game that “we just got punked,” the report says, and Edwards acknowledged the term while urging review of the film.
The report says San Antonio pressured Minnesota full court, attacked the Timberwolves’ dribble and used selective double teams on Edwards to disrupt his rhythm. Finch criticized how Edwards and other playmakers responded to the overload scheme, saying, “Got to get off of it. Got to use it as a catalyst for ball movement,” and added the team had been “dribbling to tough spots” with poor spacing.
Offensively, the Timberwolves made nine of 30 3s and missed 26 of 44 shots in the paint, the report says, with finishing problems against Victor Wembanyama and a season-worst 22 turnovers. Julius Randle acknowledged he was “getting the ball in bad spots” after a quiet, five-turnover night. Jaden McDaniels was one of the better performers but played only 20 minutes because of early foul trouble; Edwards stressed McDaniels’ absence harms the team when he sits.
The report says Edwards logged 25 minutes in Game 1 coming off the bench as he managed a badly hyperextended left knee and bone bruise, and finished Game 2 with 24 minutes before sitting the fourth quarter. Edwards said his knee “feels good,” and it appears he is ready to resume a more normal workload as the series shifts to Minnesota and the pressure on the Timberwolves rises.
