MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The stretch run for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the thick of the Western Conference race for playoff positioning became a bit tougher with a multigame absence for All-Star Anthony Edwards.
Julius Randle delivered a winning performance on the first night of the test, posting his second straight 32-point game for the Timberwolves in a 116-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday after the team announced Edwards would miss one
to two weeks with right knee inflammation before being re-evaluated.
Edwards will miss at least four games, with the Timberwolves playing four times in a six-day span. A two-week absence would cost him seven games.
So now is the time for Randle to step up in what has been a disappointing season for the 11th-year forward.
“Yeah, I’m probably the focus a little bit more, but regardless of if he’s playing or not, I’ve got to be aggressive," said Randle, who shot 10 for 17 from the floor.
Coach Chris Finch pointed to Randle's decisiveness. When he spends too much time using his overpowering frame to back down an opponent in the post, the offense can bog down.
“Playing at my pace, getting into my flow, getting to my spots,” Randle said. "I don’t think anybody can really stop me if I’m getting to my spots.”
Edwards will finish the season with a career low in games played, having already missed four games with a right hamstring strain and a total of six games over three different stretches with a lingering right foot injury. To be eligible for the NBA's postseason awards, Edwards must play in eight more games. The Timberwolves, who are tied for fifth place in the West with the Denver Nuggets, have 13 games left on the schedule.
Edwards, who played in 79 games in each of the three previous seasons, is averaging a career-best 29.5 points per game, with a newly refined midrange shot to round out his many skills and the best clutch-time production of his six-year career. Fortunately for the Timberwolves, this injury is minor and is not expected to affect his availability or condition for the postseason.
In the meantime, they have an opportunity to revive Randle after a dormant stretch and give their other guards more extended action. The Timberwolves are 7-4 without Edwards this season, after all, so after a rough 1-3 road trip last week maybe this will be the jolt they need as the playoffs approach.
Bones Hyland thrived in his 29 minutes off the bench against the Suns, scoring 22 points with five assists and posting a team-high plus-18 rating.
“There’s just going to be more shots,” Finch said. “So a guy like him who’s kind of a streaky scorer is going to benefit from that.”
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