Anthony Edwards left game four against the Denver Nuggets early.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have improved to a 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets after a wild game four that ended in an all-out brawl between Jaden McDaniels and Nikola Jokic, but that victory has come at a heavy cost.
Anthony Edwards had to leave game four early with just 2:45 left in the second quarter after he leapt up to defend Cameron Johnson on a fast break layup, but landed awkwardly on his left knee, immediately sending him to the floor.
Edwards was in obvious pain and did not return to the game. Now, Edwards might not return to the playoffs at all.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Sunday that Edwards has been diagnosed with a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee and is expected to miss multiple weeks with the injury.
No Further Damage
Looking at the bigger picture, the news of Edwards' injury is positive for the Timberwolves as it does not appear that he suffered any major ligament damage to the knee.
But, it's still a devastating loss that puts Minnesota's leading scorer at risk if missing the rest of the postseason, even if the Timberwolves were to go all the way to the finals. Edwards suffered his injury in the same game that Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles, also putting him out until next season at the earliest.
That leaves the Timberwolves without a combined 29.3 postseason points per game and puts incredible stress on Minnesota's remaining core of guards.
Ayo Dosunmu definitely rose to the occasion in his teammate's absence in game four, scoring 43 points in 42 minutes off the bench, but expecting him to take up that kind of in every game for the remainder of the playoffs is an incredible burden to put on any one player.
Edwards' Injury History
The immediate concern is how to replace Edwards' production and presence on the court in order to continue progressing through the playoffs, but should they make a deep run in the playoffs or compete in the Finals, there will have to be a conversation about either sidelining Edwards to protect him or pushing him back on the court.
Edwards dealt with knee trouble throughout the regular season and missed a number of games right at the end of the season either due to knee injuries or for injury management, ultimately resulting in him missing the NBA's 65-game requirement for end-of-season awards.
Suffering another knee injury, especially in the playoffs, brings a up a number of concerns for the Timberwolves in regard to the health of their biggest star.