He was supposed to start, but Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards had to answer the call of nature before facing the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Monday, forcing him to come off the bench.
It was a hilarious footnote in his return from a knee injury. But that is what Edwards does: He will answer the call. Especially when it is a call of duty.
He helped the Timberwolves to a one-sided win, 124-94, finishing with 17 points, two rebounds, and four assists in 23 minutes.
In a report from the Associated Press, the 24-year-old Edwards said he missed competing. He sat out six games due to his knee injury. But while some assumed that he would take it easy, he looked like he did not miss a beat against the Mavericks.
“He said he was ‘miserable' sitting out, feeling ‘like a kid in a candy store' upon his return,” read the report.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was in awe of the four-time All-Star.
“Ant was awesome. His defense was outstanding. Just let the game come to him. Stayed aggressive. Made quicker decisions. Things looked kind of easy for him as a result,” said Finch.
While he looked healthy, there was probably extra motivation for Edwards to return versus Dallas, as it kept him eligible for the individual awards. As the report noted, he would need to play in all of their eight remaining games to remain in contention.
Edwards could earn nods to the All-NBA Team and the All-Defensive Team, which might also give him lucrative bonuses.
More importantly, he could help the Timberwolves make a late surge to earn homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They are in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 46-29 record.
