SI

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Shoulders Blame for Blowout Game 3 Loss to Nuggets

Tim Capurso

May 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles
May 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
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The Minnesota Timberwolves entered Game 3 of the West semifinals in the driver's seat with a 2-0 lead in the series, but the Denver Nuggets loudly announced that the series is far from over, blowing out Minnesota by a score of 117-90 at the Target Center on Friday night.

After the game, Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards spoke to reporters and accepted blame for the Game 3 loss, Minnesota's first of the postseason thus far.

"It’s on me, I’ll take the blame for this loss," Edwards said. "I came out with no energy at all. …I can’t afford to do that for my team. I let my team, coaches, and the fans down.”

When a reporter pointed out that Edwards seemed like he had energy, as evidenced by his dancing during the pregame, the Timberwolves guard responded by saying that "he didn't come out with energy during the game."

"I thought I had it, you know, until the game started and I just was flat the entire game and I never found it," Edwards said.

The Timberwolves star, who has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan for his stellar play in the playoffs, scored just 19 points—his second-lowest output of the playoffs—and turned the ball over five times.

Despite his relatively quiet game in the box score, Edwards was very vocal with his teammates, stressing to them that the rout was just one game in the entire series during a mic'd up segment for the ESPN broadcast.

Edwards and the Timberwolves will get a chance to inch closer to that series-clinching, fourth win when Game 4 tips off on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in Minneapolis.

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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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