Wolves failed to heed Edwards’ warning, coming out as ‘cool’

SAN ANTONIO — Before Wednesday night’s Game 2, Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards He aired a warning to his teammates.

“Teams that steal the first game have a natural tendency, the away team, they blow it in Game 2,” Edwards said of his message. “We can’t come to rest.”

by an accident 133–95 blowout loss to recharge San Antonio SpursThe Timberwolves scored just 17 first-quarter points, 18 second-quarter points, turned the ball over 22 times, were down 24 at the half and spiraled into a 47-point hole to tie the series at 1-all in Minneapolis.

“We came in calm,” Edwards said. “Look what happened. My mom used to tell me that hard heads make soft butts. That’s what happened tonight.”

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was even harsher in his assessment, telling his team after the 38-point blowout that “we’re just punked.”

“Punked is crazy,” Edwards said of the phrase. “But, I mean, just watch the film and see what we can get out of it.”

The film will reveal a desperate and physical Spurs team, with the Timberwolves pressuring full court, attacking their dribble and deploying picky double teams on Edwards as he crosses halfcourt, knocking the ball out of his hands and disrupting his rhythm.

“They were playing crazy, weren’t they?” Edwards spoke of the Spurs’ extra attention. “Watch the film, find the holes in it. We didn’t make enough shots to get them out.”

Finch didn’t like how Edwards and the team’s other playmakers reacted to the overload scheme and added pressure.

“It has to come down,” Finch said. “It’s got to be a catalyst for ball movement, which is what it should be. I thought we dribbled into tight spots. I thought we were late getting off of it. I thought our spacing around it wasn’t really good.”

The Timberwolves made just nine of their 30 3s, unable to punish the Spurs when they did make one decent look. They struggled to finish against, missing 26 of their 44 shots in the paint Victor Wembanyama. They turned it over 22 times, too often getting too loose with the ball against a swarm of active defenders.

“We have to go somewhere (with basketball),” Finch said. “We’re dribbling and going nowhere.”

Asked about the “dribbling to nowhere” comment, Edwards said: “I don’t know. I’ll have to see the film. But he’s the head coach. I’m with what he says. So if he said it, that’s what we were doing.”

That’s been a common criticism from the Timberwolves’ Finch this season during their worst patch. Some of their top scorers — Edwards, Julius RundleSmall reserves viz Highland of Bones And Terence Shannon Jr. — A stagnant isolation can go back into style.

“Getting the ball in bad spots,” Randle said after a quiet five-turnover night. “Getting stuck in bad spots. I’ve got to get in better positions where I’m receiving the ball.”

Start wing Jaden McDaniels Was one of the Timberwolves’ best performers in Game 2, but was once again limited to a low minute total (20) due to early foul trouble. He was benched for the first half of Game 1 due to three fouls in the first 15 minutes.

“You always need Jaden on the floor,” Edwards said. “Being off the court is going to hurt us every time. We know it. He knows it. The whole gym knows it. Their team knows it. When he gets in foul trouble, they’re happy. He knows he can’t foul. We’re not going to win if he’s not on the floor.”

In Game 1, Edwards logged just nine days and 25 minutes after coming off the bench to handle his workload after suffering a badly hypertended left knee and hamstring injury. In Game 2, he finished with 24 minutes, but was significantly more on track before the entire fourth-quarter blowout loss.

So it appears Edwards — who said his knee “feels good” — is ready to return to a normal workload as the series shifts to Minnesota and the pressure mounts on the Timberwolves.

“It’s not up to me,” Edwards said of a desired return to the starting lineup. “If it’s necessary. Whatever it takes.”

The Timberwolves stunned the Spurs 62-win in the opener. San Antonio punched back mightily in Game 2.

“They won by 40,” Edwards said. “I’ll have a lot of faith … I tip my hat to those guys. They came out, they played hard, they were a more desperate team, they wanted it. We’ll see where it goes from here.”