Nothing stings more than having a hand in averting a playoff loss but failing to do so. But that’s precisely what Anthony Edwards went through on Tuesday night, when he had a perfect opportunity to send Game 5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves first-round series against the Denver Nuggets to overtime with the one-seed ahead by three points, 112-109, in the dying embers of the game.
With around two seconds remaining, the Timberwolves guard got the ball against a shaky Nuggets zone defense and drove to the basket. Edwards has hit more tough shots in the past, so the Timberwolves had a chance to prolong the series by at least five minutes. However, Edwards’ shot clanked against the back iron, thereby ending the Timberwolves’ season.
In contrast to the normal niceties in the NBA, Anthony Edwards raced directly to the locker room as the buzzer sounded, indicating that he took the loss personally. Players frequently congregate at center court at the conclusion of a hard-fought series and exchange high-fives, embraces, or handshakes. But Edwards was definitely not in a celebratory mood.
While it is understandable that the Timberwolves star is still hurting from defeat, some Nuggets fans think that Edwards could have accepted the loss in stride and exchanged a few pleasantries with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and company.
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