Is Anthony Edwards playing tonight against the Utah Jazz? Latest on Timberwolves superstar's availability
The Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz on Friday but without Anthony Edwards. The three-time All-Star is suspended for one game after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season against the LA Lakers on Thursday.
The talented guard looked out of sorts early in the game against the Lakers, picking up his first technical after getting into a tussle with Jarred Vanderbilt. With just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Edwards was ejected after receiving his second technical.
Edwards was visibly frustrated after receiving his 15th and 16th technicals of the year, taking his time to leave the court and throwing the ball into the stands.
The Jazz are amid a dreadful run, winning just two of their last nine games, but would likely be confident heading into Friday's home game as they won't have to face one of the league's elite scorers. Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle are also expected to miss the game due to injuries.
This season, Edwards has led the Timberwolves in points (27.3) and assists (4.6). He ranks second in the team in steals (1.2) and third in rebounds (6.0).
Edwards was instrumental in leading Minnesota to the Western Conference finals last season, where it lost in five games to the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks team.
Anthony Edwards has off night against the Lakers as Minnesota drops to eighth in Western Conference standings
Anthony Edwards had a rare off night against the LA Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena. He shot 6-for-12 and recorded 18 points, which is less than his season average of 27.3 points per game. After he was ejected in the third quarter, the Timberwolves were unable to recover in the fourth, losing 111-102.
It was Minnesota's fifth loss over its last seven games and it was critical as the team dropped below the Golden State Warriors in the standings. The Timberwolves are 32-28 on the season and trail the red-hot Warriors by half a game. They are also one game behind the LA Clippers for the sixth seed.