Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Criticizes Officiating of Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Minnesota’s standout guard believes Oklahoma City benefited from questionable officiating Saturday night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fended off the Minnesota Timberwolves, 102–97, on Saturday night, fueling some emotions from star guard Anthony Edwards. Following the loss, Edwards was a bit critical of the officiating and specifically how calls in favor of Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were handled.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 13 free throws without committing a foul during the game, and the visiting Thunder shot 35 free throws to the Timberwolves’ 29.

“It’s hard to with the calls that Shai gets. It’s hard to shut him down. You can’t touch him at any time of the game, so it’s super hard to beat,” Edwards told reporters after the game. “That team is a good team, especially when they get calls like that.”

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards took exception to the way referees officiated Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Saturday night :: Jesse Johnson / USA TODAY Sports

Edwards finished the night with 19 points on 6–of–10 shooting, along with five assists and five rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a game-high 33 points on 10–of–22 shooting from the field with six assists.

Edwards’s comments on the officiating raised a few eyebrows, but Gilgeous-Alexander has done an excellent job getting to the free-throw line all season.

The Thunder guard averages the third-most free throws per game in the league with 8.9, a figure that leads all guards.