SI

Anthony Edwards Was Furious With Rudy Gobert After Timberwolves Turnover

Tim Capurso

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards exchanges words with center Rudy Gobert during the fourth quarter of a 110-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on November, 21 2024.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards exchanges words with center Rudy Gobert during the fourth quarter of a 110-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on November, 21 2024. / Screengrab Twitter @BleacherReport
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Anthony Edwards was furious with teammate and center Rudy Gobert following an odd sequence that resulted in a turnover for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the team's 110-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

With about five minutes remaining in a tie game, Timberwolves forward Julius Randle possessed the ball on the wing with Gobert in the painted area. The 7'1" Timberwolves center established positioning on 6'7" Raptors forward Scottie Barnes almost directly under the basket, but for some reason, Randle didn't pass the ball to Gobert, who was frantically calling for it.

Then, perhaps just as strangely, Gobert, for whatever reason, did not make his way out of the paint in time and was whistled for a three-second call, and a Timberwolves turnover.

Edwards was not happy.

Gobert had every right to want the ball in that spot, especially with a smaller player defending him right under the basket. It's not clear what Randle was looking at, or why he was unable to deliver the entry pass to Gobert. But the Timberwolves big man also made no effort to get out of the paint when it quickly became clear he wasn't getting the ball.

Then Edwards, the de-facto leader of the team, perhaps unjustly placed the blame solely on Gobert for the failed sequence.

In some ways, the possession was a microcosm of the night for Minnesota, which struggled to get into a rhythm offensively, shooting just 41.3 percent from the field while committing 17 turnovers in the loss.

The Timberwolves (8-7) are back in action against the defending-champion Boston Celtics (12-3) on Sunday.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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