The Minnesota Timberwolves season came unglued midway through their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets.

Both Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards went down with notable injuries, and most assumed the team's season might soon slip away.

That wasn't the case, as the team needed just six games in the end to oust the Nuggets, and moved into a second-round series against the Spurs as a sizeable underdog.

Get our free mobile app

In a very surprising game one return from injury last night, Anthony Edwards was the catalyst to a big upset in San Antonio:

SAN ANTONIO -- Anthony Edwards estimated that at some point Sunday, eight nights after his left knee bent so far back on a block attempt that he suffered a deep bone bruise, he knew it had healed enough to be ready for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

"I know for a fact that me being out there calms everybody down," Edwards said.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, entering this series as heavy underdogs to the 62-win San Antonio Spurs, pulled off a stunning 104-102 road win Monday night due to several contributors. But much of the postgame chatter was about Edwards, who came off the bench but still stole the show.

On Saturday, after a week of underwater treadmill training and band work to loosen an inflamed knee, Edwards returned to the practice court for a light workout. Some of his teammates said later that his first appearance gave them an initial inclination that Edwards could return in the second round.

But Game 1?

"Nobody expected him to play," veteran guard Mike Conley said.

As the weekend continued, team sources indicated to ESPN a growing optimism that Edwards -- a famously rapid healer whom Julius Randle refers to as "Wolverine" -- was trending toward Game 3, once the series shifted to Minneapolis. Edwards' coach, Chris Finch, said the earliest he had been told Edwards would appear was Game 2.

But Edwards had other plans. Despite no contact work or scrimmaging, he told the team's medical staff and front office that his knee responded well enough to push up the timeline. He was listed as questionable by Sunday night. He participated in Monday morning's shootaround with a bulky sleeve on his left knee. He pushed his way into a green light.

"I called him my hero before the game," Conley said. "You look up to somebody for what he just put himself through the last week."

The Timberwolves, still trying to exert some level of caution, brought Edwards off the bench. They limited him to 25 minutes despite the score being tight throughout Game 1.

Edwards optimized that run time, scoring 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, providing a needed offensive boost on a night neither team could efficiently score.

There were slight moments of concern. Edwards grabbed at his left knee briefly after a whirling lefty layup in the second half. He didn't appear to have his full lift and admitted postgame that he didn't have all his necessary athleticism when he gave up a pair of big offensive rebounds late.

But the statistical production and eye test were both encouraging. He beat his defender off the dribble on a few occasions, finding that extra burst for five makes and 11 points in the final nine minutes to help close it out.

"I felt great," Edwards said, acknowledging he'd be ready to up his minutes and usage if asked. "Whatever Coach needs from me."

Minnesota controlled the series opener because of a swarming defense. The Timberwolves held De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama to a combined 10-of-31 shooting. Those two missed all 12 of their 3-point attempts. San Antonio scored only 45 first-half points.

But the Spurs remained in it until late because of Wembanyama's defense. He set an NBA playoff record with 12 blocks, consistently turning away an aggressive Timberwolves team that faced little rim resistance in its last series. Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets' starting center, had only five total blocks in six games.

The Spurs had a chance late. Edwards, who was critical of a few of his mental lapses in the closing minute, had an inbound turnover that cracked open the door.

Julian Champagnie had a good look at a wing 3-point attempt to win it at the buzzer, but missed, sealing the Timberwolves' Game 1 win and setting up Edwards to be the hero.

Source: Anthony Edwards' return propels Wolves past Spurs in Game 1 - ESPN