Minutes after the Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday—and mere hours after Minnesota center Rudy Gobert was slapped with a $100,000 fine for his pointed criticism of officiating last week—Anthony Edwards put the referees in his crosshairs. Asked about the injury-riddled Timberwolves playing shorthanded, Edwards, sporting a sly smile, slugged an orange Gatorade and pinned the blame for the loss elsewhere.
“It’s tough every night when you don’t get to the free throw line as much as the other team,” Edwards said. “When one player shoots more free throws than your entire team, it’s tough. It’s tough to compete in the fourth quarter when you miss a shot and they are going to the free throw line every time down the floor.”
Edwards was slightly off. No Lakers player went to the line more than the Timberwolves, though Anthony Davis (13) shot exactly as many, part of a 29–13 edge Los Angeles had from the free throw line, including a 9–4 advantage in the fourth quarter, which Minnesota entered with a one-point lead and finished with an 11-point loss.
