"Don't think they got any momentum" - Anthony Edwards defiant in defeat, blames 3-day break for homecourt collapse
It was quite a disappointing night for Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. They succumbed to a damaging 115-107 defeat in the Game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals against reigning champions, Denver Nuggets.
Despite the defeat, Anthony Edwards is optimistic that Minnesota can take the series, now tied at 2-2. In his cheery manner, he explained that the three-day break disrupted Timberwolves’ momentum as he reflected on the encounter.
“I think the three days hurt as actually,” the 22-year-old said in his post-match interview.
“After the two wins they gave us like three-days off before we play again. I don’t really like that all. That’s why we struggled in game 3” he continued.
He downplayed the idea that either team has momentum.
"I don't think they got any momentum,” he said "We won two games. They won two games. At this point, it's whoever wins two games. I don't know how people look at it, but I look at it like I'm happy. I'm ready.”
"It's competing at the highest level. I'm smiling about it because I'm happy. I'm ready to go play. If we played tomorrow, I'd be ready. It's going to be fun," he concluded.
The defeat summed up the Wolves’ recent season. If they had capitalised on a flying start it might have been different.
The Wolves hoped to wrap up the series early after going 2-0 up, only for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to embark on an unlikely rescue mission to tie the series for Denver.
However, Anthony Edwards' post-game demeanor suggests that at least one Timberwolf remains unfazed by Denver drawing level in the series.
Anthony Edwards drops a 40-piece in Game 4 loss
While Anthony Edwards exploded for a series-high 44 points on an efficient 64% shooting, including 62.5% from three, the supporting cast faltered when it mattered most, as no other Minnesota player even reached the 20-point mark.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who struggled offensively, managed only 13 points on a dismal 5-for-18 shooting night. Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert chipped in with 11 points each, but it wasn't enough. Mike Conley, the team's second-leading scorer, only managed 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
Facing an uphill battle, the Timberwolves will also now have to contend with the fact that the Nuggets hold home-court advantage. The work hasn’t ended for Timberwolves as they gear up for the Game 5 encounter at the Ball Arena on Tuesday.