Anthony Edwards’ Jaden McDaniels declaration after Game 5 loss vs. Spurs

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves dropped Game 5 of their second round series against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs and now face elimination. Game 6 will be back in Minneapolis, a place the Wolve have had a lot of success playing over the last few postseasons.

Edwards finished Game 5 with 20 points, two rebounds, and two assists on 6-of-13 shooting from the field in 39 minutes of play. It wasn’t nearly enough as the Spurs defeated the Timberwolves, 126-97, despite the game being tied near the midway point of the third quarter.

This isn’t the first time the Timberwolves are facing elimination going back home for a Game 6. They were in the exact same situation against the Denver Nuggets two postseasons ago, where they won Game 6 at home and Game 7 in Denver to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

After Tuesday night’s Game 5 loss, Edwards was very transparent when asked what he can take away from that series and apply to this one, given how similar the situations are.

“I mean, we know the game plan, we know what we’ve got to do in order to beat the team,” Anthony Edwards told members of the media after the loss. “And I think everything starts with Jaden McDaniels, trying to keep him out of foul trouble. Because he’s so important to the team. he’s so important to us. It hurts everybody when he gets in foul trouble. Some tough calls being made against him man, so it’s not too much we can say. We try to avoid him getting in foul trouble and if we can do that, we give ourselves a great chance to win the ball game.”

Jaden McDaniels played 30 minutes in the Game 5 loss, recording 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, and five fouls in the process. Minnesota had five players in double-figure scoring, but shot just 38.6 percent from the field in the blowout loss.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” Edwards added. “Not knowing the game plan, executing the offense. We know they’re going to come out and be physical defensively, we know how to go against that, and then us defensively, we know our coverages, what we’re supposed to be doing when they’re in pick-and-roll, and I think we’re just not doing it enough.

“I can’t really pinpoint why we keep making the game plan mistakes. We’ve just got to be better on it. It’s just that simple on it. Whatever the coaches draw up for the game plan, we’ve got to go out there and execute it at the highest level.”

Victor Wembanyama finished Game 5 with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots, becoming the eighth player in NBA history to record that kind of statline in a playoff game. Wembanyama continues his torrid pace as a high-level disruptor on the defensive end, something the Wolves haven’t really had an answer for thus far.

Gamed 6 between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves won’t be until Friday, May 15th. That will give both teams two days off to rest and recover before the potential elimination game is tipped off at Target Center at 8:30PM EST.

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