Anthony Edwards Records Second-Lowest Scoring Total in Postseason

Three-time All-Star Anthony Edwards faced tough questions after the Minnesota Timberwolves dropped a heartbreaker to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 128-126, pushing them to the brink of elimination in the Western Conference finals.

Edwards managed just 16 points in Game 4, his second-lowest scoring output this postseason. The young star went 5-for-13 from the field and hit only one of his seven three-point attempts.

“I don’t look at it like I struggled,” Edwards insisted after the game. “They had a good game plan, making us get off the ball. Especially for me. They were super in the gaps, I made the right play all night.”

The 22-year-old guard has seen his shot attempts dwindle against the Thunder’s defense.

“I didn’t get enough shots to say I struggled,” he added. “That might be how you guys look at it. But I didn’t struggle at all. I just made the right play.”

Edwards has been taking fewer shots as the playoffs have progressed. He averaged 22.4 shots per game in the first round and 19.8 in the second round, but that number has dropped to just 17.3 against Oklahoma City.

It’s a dramatic shift for a player who’s been the Timberwolves’ offensive engine all season.

“It’s an urge that I want to get the ball in the rim, put it up there,” Edwards admitted. “But you don’t want to take bad shots and get your team out of rhythm. So I was just playing the game the right way.”

His Game 4 performance came after back-to-back 30+ point games, making the drop-off even more noticeable.

Edwards started the series quietly with 18 points in Game 1 before exploding for 32 in Game 2. He followed that with an efficient 30 points in Game 3, shooting a blistering 70.6% from the floor.

This inconsistency is surprising for a player who averaged a career-high 27.6 points during the regular season.

Just a few months ago, Edwards showed what he’s capable of when he dropped a career-best 53 points against Detroit, including 10 three-pointers.

Now the Timberwolves face elimination, down 3-1 in the series. They’ll need to win Wednesday’s Game 5 at Paycom Center to keep their season alive.

For the second straight year, Minnesota finds itself three wins short of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.