The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the league’s more bipolar teams to start the 2025-26 season, posting a 2-8 record against teams with a .500 record or better and a 13-1 record against teams below .500, but entering Friday night’s 10 p.m. ET game against the 13-12, Draymond Green ($8,000)-less Golden State Warriors, Minnesota appeared to be in a good position to pick up its third win against a quality team. However, as impactful as Green has been for the Warriors, the Timberwolves were dealt a much tougher blow late Friday afternoon when Anthony Edwards ($10,600) was ruled out with right foot soreness.
It’ll be Minnesota’s sixth game without Edwards this season after he suffered a hamstring strain earlier in the season (he missed four complete games, but suffered his injury just three minutes into the Timberwolves’ October 26 win over the Indiana Pacers). In that stretch, Minnesota went 3-2 as Mike Conley ($2,200) entered the lineup in his stead, but that won’t be possible tonight, since Conley has been ruled out with Achilles tendinopathy. Instead, the Timberwolves will probably start Jaylen Clark ($1,400), though Bones Hyland ($1,800) and Rob Dillingham ($1,000) are also candidates to take on a bigger role. It’s also likely that Minnesota will spend more time using bigger lineups that feature both Rudy Gobert ($6,000) and Naz Reid ($7,400).
Regardless, Edwards — who’s averaging 28.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists (44.6 FPTS) per game this season while shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc — will be a huge loss. Without him, the Timberwolves’ offensive rating dips from 122.3 (the equivalent of the second-best mark in basketball) to 115.9 (10th-best), though they’ve been much stingier defensively with him on the bench. Minnesota has been significantly worse offensively and better defensively in Clark’s and in Hyland’s minutes, while it has been much worse on both sides of the ball with Dillingham on the floor.
On paper, either Hyland or Dillingham has a difficult matchup against a Golden State team that has allowed the sixth-fewest FPTS per game to opposing combo guards. However, with Green off the floor, the Warriors’ defensive rating has slipped from the second-best mark in the league to the equivalent of the 17th-best. Green has also had a positive impact on Golden State’s ability to rebound, and the Warriors might have some trouble on the glass without him. Without Green, the biggest beneficiary of Edwards’ absence is probably Julius Randle ($9,400), a feisty rebounder and jumbo-sized playmaker in Green’s mold who averaged 48.2 FPTS per game throughout Edwards’ earlier absence.
After Edwards was ruled out, the Timberwolves moved from a 1.5-point underdog to a 4.5-point underdog at DraftKings Sportsbook (-175 on the Moneyline), with the point total set to 228.5. Minnesota is +145 on the Moneyline.
