Going up for a block in the second quarter of Saturday’s Game 4 win over the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards went down very awkwardly with a knee injury and was helped to the locker room. The superstar didn’t return to the contest and now on Sunday, ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting Edwards has been diagnosed with a left knee bone bruise and hyperextension that will force him to miss multiple weeks. Edwards avoided any ligament damage, but this is obviously a massive blow for a Timberwolves team that just took a commanding 3-1 series lead over Denver.
Edwards averaged 28.8 PPG in the regular season and he has had some strong games in the playoffs so far, including a 30-point and 10-rebound showing in the Game 2 win over the Nuggets. Edwards is leading Minnesota with a huge 31.5% usage rate.
To make matters worse for the Timberwolves, Donte DiVincenzo went down with a season-ending Achilles tear early in Game 4. With both Edwards and DiVincenzo out, Julius Randle should see a big usage rate, but Ayo Dosunmu should be the primary beneficiary.
With Edwards and DiVincenzo both exiting the game in the first half in Game 4, Dosunmu went off for a career-high 43 points. The ex-Bull led the Timberwolves with 42 minutes and he started the second half. Dosunmu will almost certainly start going forward and he should garner massive roles on a nightly basis. While we can’t expect more 40-point outbursts, Dosunmu should put up excellent stat lines.
Unfortunately, Edwards and DiVincenzo both being unavailable hurts the Timberwolves’ chances of contending for a championship significantly. With both out, Minnesota’s odds to win the title on DraftKings Sportsbook now sit at +9000, which are the ninth-best of the 16 playoffs teams.
