When Anthony Edwards went down with a knee injury during Game 4 between the Timberwolves and Nuggets, he was expected to be out “multiple weeks” and his availability for the start of Minnesota’s second-round series against the Spurs was in serious doubt.
Others within the Timberwolves call him “Wolverine” for a reason.
Just nine days after suffering the injury, Edwards is expected to be available as Minnesota opens its series in San Antonio on Monday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The insider reports that Edwards “has tried multiple treatments over the last several days” including sessions in a hyperbaric chamber to expedite his recovery. Evidently, they’ve been successful enough for him to consider an impressively fast turnaround after he made real progress in the last 24 hours ahead of Monday’s game.
The news comes after Edwards had been listed as questionable for the game, indicating that his return was ahead of schedule.
Edwards was clearly hampered in the series against Denver, even before the Game 4 injury. He averaged just 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 35.8% from the field and 25.8% from three in the series.
The Timberwolves will need much more out of their superstar guard to advance past a powerhouse Spurs team, but having him back at all is a huge lift for Minnesota, especially with the season-ending injury to Donte DiVincenzo, also suffered in Game 4 with the Nuggets, and the lingering injury to Ayo Dosunmu. After going off for 43 points in relief of Edwards in Game 5, Dosunmu missed Game 6 with a right calf issue and will be out once again on Monday, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Game 1 tips off on at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Anthony Edwards has dealt with a number of injuries during the 2025–26 season
Due to a combination of hamstring, foot and knee injuries since the start of the season, Edwards—typically one of the NBA’s most reliable stars—was held to just 61 games on the season, making him ineligible for many postseason awards. Edwards had never played less than 72 games in a season before, and had played in 79 games in each of the three previous seasons.
When healthy, Edwards has arguably been better than ever. His 28.8 points per game, 48.9% field goal percentage, 39.9% three-point rate and .572 eFG% mark were all career highs in the regular season.
In the three-plus games against the Nuggets, however, it was clear that Edwards was not 100%. He averaged 23 points per night in Games 1 through 3, and even in a 30-point outing in Game 2, he wasn’t particularly efficient, hitting just 10-of-25 shots and 3-of-11 threes. He knocked down just 6-of-22 from deep in the series before his exit.
How has Edwards looked in his first games back from injury this season?
With just nine days of rest on a knee injury that was expected to sideline him from multiple weeks, what can the Timberwolves expect from their superstar against one of the NBA’s top defenses?
Edwards played in five contests coming off of multi-game absences throughout the season. In a few of those games, he clearly showed a bit of rust. In one—a tight mid-January loss to this same San Antonio team he’ll face in the Western Conference semifinal—he went off for 55 points.
| Date | Opp. | Injury | Mins | FG | 3PT | Pts | Reb | Ast | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 5 | Knicks (137–114 L) | Hamstring | 29 | 5-13 | 3-7 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Dec. 19 | Thunder (112–107 W) | Foot | 41 | 9-20 | 3-6 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 3 |
| Jan. 17 | Spurs (126–123 L) | Foot | 40 | 19-33 | 9-16 | 55 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| March 30 | Mavericks (124–94 W) | Knee | 23 | 7-13 | 2-3 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| April 10 | Rockets (136–132 W) | Knee | 27 | 7-14 | 3-7 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
The early-season performance against the Knicks was not a great one for Edwards or the Wolves as a whole. Otherwise, when he’s come back from injury, he’s largely looked ready to dominate.
In December, he led Minnesota past the reigning NBA champion Thunder. In another, he scored 55 points against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, with the Timberwolves falling by three. His minutes were more limited in late-season wins against the Mavericks and Rockets after absences from his lingering knee inflammation, but he played well while on the floor.
It is an encouraging sign for Minnesota that Edwards is able to ramp up quickly after missing any extended time, as they’ll need him in rare form to overcome the other injuries littering the backcourt in order to beat San Antonio.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What to Expect From Anthony Edwards As He’s Set to Return for Game 1 Between Timberwolves, Spurs.
