Edwards couldn’t prevent the team from losing.

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost 102-108 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022-2023 NBA Play-In Tournament held at the Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena on the 12th (hereinafter Korean time).

Before the start of the play-in tournament, Minnesota had the worst of it. Rudy Gobaer was suspended for punching a teammate during the game, and Jaden McDaniels suffered a fractured hand while venting his anger against a wall.메이저사이트

In an instant, the two main players were missing. Since Naz Reed, the core of the bench, had already left, the gap between the two was felt even greater. Some even said that the game between the Lakers and Minnesota had tilted too far before it even started.

But Minnesota wasn’t easy. It was unclear until right before the game whether or not to participate, but Karl-Anthony Towns, who appeared on the court, was like an ace, and Mike Conley showed the dignity of a veteran. Kyle Anderson, Turin Prince, and Nikhil Alexander-Walker also performed well.

In the third quarter, at one point, they ran away with a 15-point gap, and the 7th seed was right in front of them. However, the victory that had been grasped was blown away. Minnesota, which began to lose power in the second half of the third quarter, suffered a come-from-behind defeat after a bloody battle that went into overtime. Conley’s free throw score, which dragged the game into overtime, did not lead to victory.

I was very sorry for the silence of Edwards (9 points), who formed a one-two punch with Towns. Edwards suffered sluggishness tied to 11 points in a confrontation with the Lakers on April 1st. Edwards dreamed of a counterattack at the Crypto.com Arena, which he returned to after 11 days, but this time he also left the court bitterly.

With Towns on the long run, Edwards has been the de facto Minnesota ace this season. He averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 79 games without major injuries. Thanks to Edwards, Minnesota was able to finish the regular season in 8th place without collapsing.

In addition, strong heart Edwards left an impressive performance in the first playoff last year, so this spring’s basketball performance was expected even more. Since he returned to Towns at the end of the season, the burden on the attack is also reduced.

But Edwards’ spring basketball start this season turned out to be a nightmare. Of course, the worst performance of the season came in the play-in tournament. Edwards, who failed all nine 3-point shots, stayed at 17.6% (3/17), the lowest field goal rate this season.

Minnesota, where Edwards did not explode until the end, faced a come-from-behind defeat, failing to demonstrate a significant presence in the game, even Towns. It is Minnesota that the odds increase only when the two players lead a close match.

On the 15th, Minnesota will play a single game with the winner of the New Orleans-Oklahoma City head-to-head match for the last ticket to the playoffs. Will Edwards be able to restore his honor in what could be his last match?