Edwards blasts the Timberwolves' concerning trend of slow starts after a decisive loss.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had every reason to feel good heading into Saturday's matinee against the Orlando Magic, riding a five-game winning streak and sitting at 40-23 on the season with a firm grip on a top-four seed in the Western Conference.
That good feeling did not last long.
The Magic came into Target Center and blew the doors off the Timberwolves in a 119-92 beatdown that snapped Minnesota's hot streak and left the team searching for answers.
After the game, Anthony Edwards was asked about the team's struggles in early-tip games, and the four-time All-Star did not hold back when it came to calling out the pattern.
"I mean I think we got a trend of not being ready to play at 2:00 or 1:00, but I think we did good in Denver and then we just came out flat tonight," Edwards said.
A Troubling Pattern Keeps Showing Up
Edwards is not wrong about the trend, either.
While the Timberwolves did grab a solid 117-108 win in Denver last Sunday in an afternoon start, that result looks more like the exception than the rule this season.
Some of Minnesota's worst losses of the year have come in games that tipped off before 5 p.m. Central time, including a 19-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in February, a 24-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks on New Year's Eve, and a 26-point loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Saturday's 27-point loss to Orlando now sits at the top of that ugly list.
The game got away from the Timberwolves in the second quarter when they scored just 20 points on 9-of-26 shooting while Orlando went on a 16-0 run that flipped the entire game on its head.
Edwards actually came out on fire, dropping 17 points in the first quarter and looking like the MVP candidate he has been all season, but the rest of the team could not keep up.
Edwards Did His Part, but Nobody Else Showed Up
Edwards finished with 34 points on 8-of-18 shooting and 5-of-9 from three, but it was a completely solo effort on a day when Minnesota desperately needed help from its supporting cast.
Starters Donte DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels combined to go 0-for-15 from the field, and Ayo Dosunmu was only 1-for-6 off the bench in a game where the Wolves shot just 35.7 percent as a team.
On the other side, Desmond Bane led the Magic with 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting while going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, and Paolo Banchero added 25 points and 15 rebounds to help Orlando improve to 34-28 on the season.
The Timberwolves were outrebounded 58-37 on the afternoon and scored a season-low 14 points in the fourth quarter as the game turned into a complete blowout.
What Comes Next for Minnesota
The loss drops Minnesota to 40-24 on the season, and while the Timberwolves are still in a strong position in the Western Conference, the afternoon game problem is not something they can afford to ignore.
Edwards has been open all year about his team's struggles in games where the energy does not match the moment, and Saturday felt like one of those games where the team just was not locked in from the start.
Minnesota heads out on a four-game road trip starting Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Timberwolves will need to find a way to bring better energy no matter what time the ball goes up if they want to stay in the conversation for a top seed.