In Atlanta, Anthony Edwards departed the Minnesota Timberwolves’ bench and the playing surface during a late timeout as his team suffered a 126-102 defeat against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
This unexpected and unauthorized departure by the Minnesota standout occurred during a stoppage in play, specifically with 7 minutes and 52 seconds left on the clock. It appeared Edwards took issue with head coach Chris Finch removing his starting players while the Hawks held a significant 109-80 advantage. Following this, Edwards threw his towel down before walking off the bench area.
Edwards declined to engage with members of the press following the match. Finch subsequently informed journalists that his player ought to have stayed with the team.
Finch commented, “Clearly, he was upset with how we played, and that’s understandable, but he needs to be on the court cheering on his teammates.”
Edwards topped his squad’s scoring with 30 points, successfully converting 10 out of 18 attempts from the field, which included three shots from beyond the arc, over 33 minutes of play.
This prolific scorer started the evening positioned eighth across the NBA, maintaining an average of 29.1 points.
Furthermore, he was thrown out during the extra period of the Timberwolves’ 142-138 defeat in Denver on Thursday. He had accumulated 44 points prior to being ejected for disputing officiating decisions regarding fouls.
As a native of Atlanta and a former standout player for the University of Georgia, Edwards had various acquaintances and relatives present at the Wednesday game, among them his grandfather.
Portions of this account were provided by The Associated Press.
