Anthony Edwards thought he had energy.
But as the Timberwolves’ Game 3 against the Nuggets began, the Timberwolves star “couldn’t find it” during a 117-90 loss to the defending champions.
With 43 points and 27 rebounds, Edwards was the main reason the Timberwolves took a surprising 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
And when he scored just 19 points in his first postseason loss, Edwards didn’t hesitate to accept responsibility and criticize himself for a lack of energy Friday night.
“I take responsibility for this loss,” he told reporters after the game. “I came out completely empty-handed. … I can’t afford to do that for the team. I let the team and the coaches and the fans down. I’ll be ready on Sunday.”
Edwards, who averaged 25.9 points per game during the regular season and finished seventh in MVP voting, has blossomed into a leading scoring option for the Timberwolves since being selected No. 1 overall out of Georgia in 2020.
This year, it helped Minnesota secure the No. 3 overall seed in the playoffs, opening the season with a dominating win over the Suns and giving Phoenix, whose lineup included Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, a free-for-all after the game. -Head coach Vogel was fired. One season and one disappointing postseason exit.
He averaged 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in those four games, and averaged 30.4 points per game throughout the postseason compared to Jalen Brunson (34.6 points), Joel Embiid (33.0 points), and Damian Lillard (31.3 points). ), which ranks fourth in the NBA. .
But on Friday, Edwards and the Timberwolves trailed by eight points at the end of the first quarter, by 15 points at halftime, and never got within 13 points the rest of the game — a gap that only grew.
“It was flat the whole game,” said Edwards, who hit 8 of 15 shots.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray each led the Nuggets with 24 points, and Michael Porter Jr. added 21 points, with Sunday’s win at Minnesota potentially tying the series.
“We’re still figuring it out,” Edwards said. “They just hit shots tonight. They played well, dude. They’re the defending champions. We didn’t expect it to be easy, so that’s what we were hoping for. ”
