Anthony Edwards Angling To Play In Game 1 Tonight
2:03pm: Edwards has gained medical clearance and is expected to play, Charania tweets.
12:40pm: Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is lobbying to play tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Spurs, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets.
Edwards was a significant participant in Timberwolves shootaround this morning, according to Charania. Edwards and the team’s medical staff will make a final decision on his status later today.
On Sunday, the team upgraded Edwards to questionable. Edwards missed the last two games of the Wolves’ series against the Nuggets after hyperextending his left knee and was initially considered week-to-week with the injury. Edwards played just 18 minutes and made only one field goal in Game 4 of the series before sitting out.
Injuries limited Edwards to 61 games during the regular season, making him ineligible for postseason awards.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Ingram, Dosunmu, Embiid
In a surprising turn of events, Anthony Edwards has been upgraded to questionable for the Timberwolves‘ Game 1 matchup against the Spurs on Monday, the team announced in a press release.
Edwards missed the last two games of the Wolves’ series against the Nuggets after hyperextending his left knee and was initially considered week-to-week with the injury.
A recent report had indicated optimism that he could return for Game 3 or 4 of the series, but Edwards takes pride in his ability to return to form quicker than expected.
“We call him Wolverine,” said Wolves’ vice president of medical operations and performance David Hine, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Certain things you see other players might not be able to play through, those are injuries that Ant has been able to recover quickly from.”
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama expressed his desire to see the Wolves’ star shooting guard on the court in their series, as well as his sadness about the injuries to Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, who tore his Achilles during the first round.
“Those two are players that I like watching, I like playing against,” he said, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “They go hard.”
We have more injury notes from around the playoffs:
- Raptors wing Brandon Ingram is out for Sunday’s Game 7 matchup against the Cavaliers, The Stein Line’s Marc Stein confirms (via Twitter). Ingram had previously been listed as doubtful with right heel inflammation. “We’ve gotta dig very deep. We’ve gotta find a way,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said of playing without two starters, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg (Twitter link). “If we lose the game tonight, there’s no practice tomorrow, there is not another game tomorrow. So, we’ve gotta (find) our last energy tonight.” Ingram has struggled in the series, shooting just 32.8% from the field, but Toronto will still miss the threat his shot creation provides.
- Backup guard Ayo Dosunmu is also listed as questionable for Game 1 vs. San Antonio after missing the final game of the Timberwolves‘ first-round series due to right calf soreness, ESPN’s Anthony Slater writes. Dosunmu had two big games for the Wolves, helping them stay on track after the injury to Edwards. Head coach Chris Finch said that Dosunmu was “pretty much involved in all parts of practice” in Sunday’s medium-intensity workout, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune notes (Twitter link).
- Joel Embiid is considered probable for the Sixers‘ Game 1 matchup against the Knicks on Monday, Adam Aaronson writes for the Philly Voice. He is dealing with a right hip contusion and was visibly struggling with the injury during Saturday’s Game 7 victory.
Charania’s Latest: Edwards, Doncic, Adelman, Nuggets
While Anthony Edwards will be sidelined to open the Timberwolves‘ second-round matchup vs. San Antonio, there’s optimism he could return to action as early as Game 3 or 4, league sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (YouTube link; story via ESPN’s Anthony Slater).
Edwards released a video on his YouTube channel about his recovery progress from the left knee injury he suffered in the second quarter of Game 4 against Denver. He hyperextended his knee at the time, causing a bone bruise, and he had already been battling patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) in his opposite leg.
According to Charania, Minnesota will take a cautious approach to Edwards’ bone bruise, but he has historically healed quickly and is working diligently to come back. The four-time All-Star has done light on-court work the past two days, Slater writes.
Timberwolves VP of medical operations and performance David Hines said in the video that Edwards’ return timeline is one-to-two weeks, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). Game 3 will be played on Friday, with Game 4 scheduled for next Sunday.
Here’s more from Charania:
- Lakers superstar Luka Doncic appears unlikely to be active in the near future with Los Angeles set to face Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals. The Slovenian guard, who is recovering from a left hamstring strain, is considered week-to-week, according to Charania. Although Doncic has been doing more on-court activities in recent days, a source tells Charania he hasn’t done any “full-fledged running or full-contact workouts” to this point.
- Confirming recent reporting from The Denver Post, Charania says Nuggets head coach David Adelman “is going to be back” for a second full season in Denver. “His job is safe,” Charania added.
- Charania reiterates that Nikola Jokic is expected to sign a maximum-salary contract to remain with the Nuggets. However, the rest of Denver’s roster could look much different in 2026/27. “There is going to be real roster changes coming to Denver to identify how they can surround Nikola Jokic with the right pieces to get this team over the top,” Charania reported. “… They’re going to get calls and listen to calls on everyone on the roster besides Nikola Jokic.”
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Edwards, Dosunmu, Thunder
After a somewhat shocking first-round exit, the Nuggets need to figure out what comes next. Part of that will revolve around finding way to generate offense outside of Nikola Jokic, Bennett Durando writes for the Denver Post.
While the three-time MVP struggled, producing the first series without a 30-point game in his career, Durando notes that Denver’s offseason additions failed to provide any offensive spark to jump-start the team and help get Jokic in rhythm. As a team, the Nuggets shot 32.1% on wide-open threes, and Bruce Brown had nine turnovers to 10 assists for the series.
“I think you have to look at the different formulas of how we played (offensively) this year, what was most successful,” head coach David Adelman said of the offense not translating from the regular season. “And you have to really break it down more so into the types of teams that we struggled with, and what are the answers there to make things flow better for us. And I think that takes time.”
The Nuggets will now have to figure out what comes next, and that includes considering options that might not have been on the table before, such as trading Jamal Murray, coming off the most successful regular season of his career, writes Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the second-round series against the Spurs, after missing Game 7 and being ruled week-to-week due to a hyperextended knee. Edwards has been doing constant rehab work and has told his teammates he expects to return at some point in the series, Jon Krawczynski writes for The Athletic.
- The Timberwolves lost Ayo Dosunmu in their close-out game over the Nuggets, and it’s unclear how soon he’ll be back. “Ayo is more day to day,” coach Chris Finch said, per Andrew Dukowitz (Twitter video link). “He went through things but just the light stuff.” Dosunmu was the hero of Game 4, scoring 43 points to lead the Wolves to a win without Edwards.
- The Thunder have built a culture that includes relationships with previous franchise mainstays, such as Serge Ibaka. Chet Holmgren spoke recently on how important that is. “I think it’s amazing. One, I think it speaks to the culture that those guys, Serge, still coming back around however many years since he left here,” Holmgren said, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (video link). “… It was cool to sit down and talk to Serge about some of his experiences in this exact building. It’s been fun.“
Injury Notes: Wagner, Edwards, Nuggets, Embiid
Magic forward Franz Wagner exited Monday’s game vs. Detroit in the third quarter due to what the team referred to as right calf soreness. Speaking after the game to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel and Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter links), Wagner explained that he felt his calf tighten up about a minute before he was substituted out of the game. The plan is for the 24-year-old to undergo an MRI on his calf on Tuesday, but he’s optimistic about suiting up in Game 5.
“Hopefully it’ll be better (Tuesday),” Wagner told Beede. “The guys got it done, so that’s all that matters.”
With Wagner sidelined, the Magic put the clamps on the Pistons’ offense down the stretch in Game 4, holding Detroit to 36 second-half points to secure a 94-88 win and a 3-1 lead in the series. The series is headed back to Detroit for Game 5 with the 60-win Pistons needing three straight victories to keep their postseason run alive.
We have a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch expressed confidence during a Sunday appearance on KFAN FM 100.3 in Minnesota that Anthony Edwards will be able to return to action this spring if the team can win one more game vs. Denver without him. “We do know that if we keep extending this playoff (run), he is going to come back,” Finch said (Twitter link via Charlie Walton of Zone Coverage). “And he generally comes back ahead of the timeline.” The Wolves have officially designated Edwards as “week to week” in his recovery from a hyperextended knee and bone bruise.
- Following the Nuggets‘ Game 5 win on Monday, head coach David Adelman said he has “no idea” whether Aaron Gordon (calf) or Peyton Watson (hamstring) will be back for Game 6, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Denver will have an extra day of rest before Thursday’s game, but Adelman added that he’ll prepare for that do-or-die contest in Minnesota as if neither forward will be available.
- Star center Joel Embiid had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in his return on Sunday following an appendectomy, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the Sixers, who were outscored by 25 points in his 34 minutes of action and lost Game 4 by 32. Embiid, who is listed as probable to play in Game 5 on Tuesday, spoke after his return about his recovery process, suggesting there were some “complications” related to his emergency surgery. Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice has the story.
Anthony Edwards Considered ‘Week To Week’ After MRI
Anthony Edwards‘ left knee injury is considered a week-to-week issue, according to a press release from the Timberwolves (Twitter link via Chris Hine of The Star Tribune). An MRI conducted at the Mayo Clinic revealed a left knee hyperextension injury and bone bruise.
The team’s announcement represents confirmation of an ESPN report that stated Edwards would be sidelined multiple weeks. Minnesota leads its first-round series against the Nuggets, 3-1.
The Timberwolves’ superstar guard sustained the injury late in the second quarter of Game 4 (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). Edwards jumped to contest a layup by Cameron Johnson, and Johnson’s forward momentum caused Edwards to move backward in the air. Edwards landed awkwardly and his left knee buckled. He immediately grabbed at his knee on the ground.
Edwards entered the playoffs dealing with a nagging right knee injury, which caused him to miss extended time at the end of the regular season. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 blocks through four playoff games, but struggled with efficiency, posting a shooting slash line of .358/.258/.857.
Minnesota’s other starting guard, Donte DiVincenzo, suffered a torn right Achilles tendon early in the first quarter of Saturday’s win. Without DiVincenzo and Edwards, the Timberwolves will have to rely on breakout star Ayo Dosunmu along with Mike Conley, Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr. for the remainder of its first-round series vs. Denver.
If the Wolves advance, Edwards figures to push hard to try to return at some point in the second round, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Donte DiVincenzo Undergoing Surgery For Ruptured Achilles
Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo has formally been diagnosed with a ruptured right Achilles tendon after undergoing an MRI, the team announced in a press release.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported that DiVincenzo had suffered a torn Achilles. The injury occurred in the first quarter of Saturday’s Game 4 victory over Denver.
According to the Wolves, DiVincenzo is undergoing surgery on Sunday afternoon in New York. Dr. Martin O’Malley will be the surgeon after performing a similar surgery last year for Jayson Tatum, notes Tim Bontemps of ESPN (via Twitter).
The 17th overall pick in the 2018 draft, DiVincenzo started all 82 regular season games for Minnesota in 2025/26. The 29-year-old averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.4 minutes per game while shooting 37.9% from long distance and providing his typical solid defense.
As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes, the Wolves had a mix of emotions after Game 4. They were sad to lose DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards, who is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a left knee injury, but pleased with the way they performed in their absence to take a 3-1 series lead.
“Just proud of the guys, stepping up, fighting for each other — literally and figuratively,” head coach Chris Finch said. “These teams don’t like each other, there’s just no secret. You play each other this many times where things are at stake, even a Christmas Day game is a battle, felt like a playoff game. It’s how it goes.”
Backup big man Naz Reid said the Wolves will be thinking of DiVincenzo and Edwards as they look to close out the first-round series against their Northwest Division rival on Monday, Krawczynski adds.
“I think they’ll be with us,” Reid said. “They understand. We understand. We know what it takes. It’s not going to be easy, not at all. We gotta go out there and do what we gotta do.”
DiVincenzo is entering the final season of his contract, which will pay him about $12.5MM in 2026/27. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next year unless he signs an extension before then.
Anthony Edwards To Miss Multiple Weeks With Knee Injury
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Edwards underwent an MRI after injuring his left knee in Saturday’s Game 4 victory over Denver. While the four-time All-Star avoided ligament damage, he’s still expected to be sidelined multiple weeks, according to Charania.
The former No. 1 overall pick sustained the injury late in the second quarter (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). Edwards jumped to contest a layup by Cameron Johnson, and Johnson’s forward momentum caused Edwards to move backward in the air. Edwards landed awkwardly and his left knee buckled. He immediately grabbed at his knee on the ground.
Edwards entered the playoffs dealing with a nagging right knee injury, which caused him to miss extended time at the end of the regular season. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 blocks through four playoff games, but struggled with efficiency, posting a shooting slash line of .358/.258/.857.
It’s another tough blow for the Timberwolves, who lost starting guard Donte DiVincenzo to a torn right Achilles tendon early in the first quarter of Saturday’s win. Head coach Chris Finch was emotional when he discussed DiVincenzo’s impact after the game, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
“I mean, it’s …,” Finch’s voice cracked as he talked about DiVincenzo. “Yeah, I feel completely devastated for Donte. He was playing so well. He’s having such a great season. He’s the heart and soul of so many things that we do. You could just see the look in his eye when it happened. You kind of knew.”
With DiVincenzo and Edwards out, trade deadline acquisition Ayo Dosunmu carried Minnesota’s offense in the second half, finishing with a career-high 43 points ahead of unrestricted free agency this summer, Thompson writes. Dosunmu was 13-of-17 from the field, including 5-for-5 from long distance, and knocked down all 12 of his free throws.
“I didn’t know he was that damn good,” Julius Randle said of Dosunmu. “I don’t remember playing against him as much. I feel like when I was in the East and he was with Chicago, that was those DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine teams. … I don’t know if the opportunity was there as much. But damn, I’m glad we got him.”
Minnesota will look to close out its first-round matchup against the Nuggets on Monday, when the series returns to Denver. The Wolves hold a 3-1 lead, but will be missing two of their best players for the rest of the series.
Donte DiVincenzo Suffers Torn Right Achilles
9:41 pm: DiVincenzo’s injury has been confirmed as a torn right Achilles, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The recovery process typically takes about a year, so DiVincenzo may be forced to miss all of next season. He’s under contract for $12.54MM in 2026/27 and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
9:27 pm: The Wolves have also ruled out star guard Anthony Edwards for the rest of the game with a left knee injury after a collision with Denver’s Cameron Johnson late in the second quarter (Twitter video link from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). Scotto adds that DiVincenzo left the arena in a wheelchair.
8:33 pm: Donte DiVincenzo has been declared out for the rest of Game 4 after suffering a lower right leg injury early in the first quarter, the Timberwolves announced (via Twitter).
DiVincenzo collapsed to the court after attempting a three-pointer a little more than a minute into the contest (Twitter video link from ESPN). He grabbed at the leg and signaled to the team’s bench for assistance.
There was no contact on DiVincenzo’s injury, which raises concerns about possible Achilles damage. However, no diagnosis has been made by the team.
DiVincenzo averaged 14.3 PPG in the first three games of the series and has been particularly effective in Minnesota’s two victories. He had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Game 2 win at Denver while shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He followed that up with 15 points, four rebounds, seven assists and four steals in Game 3.
Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland both figure to see expanded roles if DiVincenzo is unable to return during the series, and Terrence Shannon Jr. may be inserted into the rotation as well.
Injury Notes: Durant, Reaves, Embiid, Edwards, Gordon
Kevin Durant will miss Game 3 for the Rockets on Friday due to a left ankle sprain, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter). Durant had previously been listed as questionable after suiting up for Game 2’s loss. He missed Game 1 due to an unrelated knee injury.
Before the announcement of Durant’s status, head coach Ime Udoka said that if Durant couldn’t play, Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason would fill out the starting five alongside Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr., per Yahoo’s Kelly Iko (Twitter link). Sharania notes (via Twitter) that this would be the second-youngest starting lineup in playoff history.
According to The Athletic’s Will Guillory (via Twitter), Udoka said the team is looking at using more small-ball units in Game 3, which could mean that Dorian Finney-Smith sees his first action of the postseason.
On the Lakers’ side of the injury report, guard Austin Reaves has been ruled out as well, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). Head coach JJ Redick told reporters during his pregame media session that Reaves would go through warm-ups at 5:45 pm local time and that the team would make a decision on his availability at that point (Twitter link via McMenamin).
Reaves, who has been sidelined since April 2 with an oblique injury, has been doing full-contact five-on-five work, Redick said (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). It sounds like he’ll have a decent chance to play in Game 4.
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Joel Embiid is out for the Sixers in Game 3 against the Celtics on Friday, Tim Bontemps writes for ESPN. The star center, who underwent an emergency appendectomy earlier this month, had previously been upgraded to doubtful, but isn’t yet cleared to return. “He’s just not ready,” coach Nick Nurse said pregame. “He’s lifted some, he’s got on court a bit, but we’re still at two weeks and a day, I think. So we’re just not ready yet.”
- Anthony Edwards is not on the injury report for the Timberwolves‘ Game 4 on Saturday, the team announced (via Twitter). He had previously been listed as questionable for each of the first three games of the series due to a knee ailment. “I think it’s definitely still something that we’re managing and he’s managing but all signs are pointing that it is getting better,” coach Chris Finch said when asked about the injury.
- The Nuggets are in must-win territory as they go into Game 4 down 2-1, but they still lack clarity on Aaron Gordon‘s status. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link), the versatile forward is listed as questionable after doing a walk-through at practice and icing his calf. Gordon missed Game 3 due to calf tightness. Another injured Nuggets wing, Peyton Watson, remains out for Game 4 due to his hamstring strain, Slater adds.