Anthony Edwards had to sit on the bench at the beginning of the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to his tardiness in being on the court for tipoff, which was an unusual event.
After the game, Edwards explained to reporters that he “lost track of time.” He frequently works with resistance bands outside the team’s locker room as part of his pregame warm-up regimen.
Ant got late for the T-Wolves opening tip 😅 pic.twitter.com/q3QXPL7iYI
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 5, 2024
Minnesota was fined for a delay of game. At the tip-off, Edwards took Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s place on the floor, but just for 35 seconds of play.
What a week for Anthony Edwards
Edwards has had a noteworthy few days. He left the game against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at halftime to be with his girlfriend, who was giving birth to their child.
When it came to arriving on the field on time for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Edwards appeared to have no trouble at all. In an 89-88 loss, he ended with 27 points on just 9 of 20 shots.
The Timberwolves didn’t appear to be taking too much offense at Edwards’ tardiness on Monday. Despite having to leave the game for a short while in the third quarter due to an elbow injury, the two-time All-Star was still able to play 35 minutes.
Minnesota defeated the Trail Blazers 119-114 to end a two-game losing streak. The T-Wolves regained their top seed in the Western Conference playoffs after the victory.
Edwards’ record of 264 games played without a loss ended. Before being added to the starting lineup on January 29, 2021, he appeared in each of his first 17 games as a substitute.