Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards suffered a knee injury on April 26, creating uncertainty about his status for the remainder of the NBA playoffs. Before the tip of Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Monday night, the Timberwolves got some positive news.
ESPN's Shams Charania reports that Edwards is now expected to play in Game 1 on Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
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Edwards suffered a knee injury in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. He was ultimately diagnosed with a hyperextended kneecap and a bone bruise in his left knee, with the expectation that he would miss the Western Conference Semifinals.
Sources told ESPN that the team has become more confident in Edwards' ability to return quickly in recent days. He is undergoing "round the clock rehabilitation", working up to light workouts over the weekend and then participating in the team's shootaround on Monday morning.
What to expect in Anthony Edwards' return to the Timberwolves
Edwards entered the NBA playoffs after suffering another knee injury. He missed 11 of the Timberwolves' final 14 regular season games due to inflammation in his right knee.
This definitely seems to be having some impact on his performance. He entered the 2026 NBA Playoffs averaging 26.9 points per game, making 3.1 three-pointers per contest, while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from the perimeter in 42 career playoff starts.
In the four first-round series games against the Phoenix Suns, Edwards shot only 35.8 percent from the field and his average dropped to 2.0 three-pointers per game on 25.8 percent shooting.
The hope for Minnesota may be that nearly a full 8 days of rest and rehab can put Edwards in a better position to perform well in both Game 1 and the remainder of the series. Edwards is expected to be wearing a sleeve on his left knee, as he was spotted with one at shootaround this morning while testing it out with a quick-dribble stepback.
