Anthony Edwards did not sugarcoat Minnesota’s Game 5 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, but he also made it clear the Timberwolves are not folding after a 126-97 defeat that left them down 3-2 in the series.
The Spurs controlled the night behind Victor Wembanyama’s 27-point, 17-rebound, five-assist, three-block performance, yet Edwards kept coming back to the same issues when asked what went wrong. “I think they had a lot of second chance points,” he said, adding that Minnesota will have to “go look at the film” before fully answering the question.
Edwards said the Timberwolves kept fighting back after a rough start, but the mistakes kept piling up. “We adjusted, fought back, fought back, fought back in the game,” he said, “but then they created another lead and running out in transition.”
Minnesota struggled to contain San Antonio’s pace, especially when the Spurs turned stops into quick offense. Edwards called the breakdowns “game plan mistakes that we keep making,” and said it was “too late in the series to make these mistakes.”
When asked what those mistakes look like, Edwards answered in broad terms but did not soften the criticism. “It’s a little bit of everything,” he said. “Not knowing the game plan. Executing on offense.”
The Timberwolves also spent much of the night chasing Wembanyama, who scored 18 points in the opening quarter and immediately put pressure on Minnesota’s defense. Edwards admitted there are possessions where the 7-foot-4 star simply leaves little room for answers. “Some of the stuff that Wemby was doing, you can’t really have too much of an answer for it,” Edwards said. “Just kind of hope he misses.”
Edwards also pointed to Jaden McDaniels’ foul trouble as a major issue, saying the forward’s presence matters on both ends. “He means so much to our team,” Edwards said. “He’s one of our anchors defensively.”
Even with the loss and the long minutes piling up, Edwards said the Timberwolves are still confident they can extend the series. “I don’t see nobody in the locker room that’s too worried,” he said. “At the end of the day, man, it’s another basketball game. So you come out, put your boots on, and get ready to go to war.”
He also welcomed the short pause before Game 6 in Minneapolis. “I’m so happy,” Edwards said. “I’m ready for two days.”
