The Minnesota Timberwolves might be about to lose Anthony Edwards at a very bad time.
The All-Star guard was hit with his 18th technical foul of the season Friday against the Brooklyn Nets, meaning he is facing a suspension from the T-wolves’ regular-season finale on Sunday unless the tech is rescinded by the NBA. His team will be facing the Utah Jazz, with a guaranteed playoff spot potentially on the line.
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NBA players are suspended one game after picking up 16 technical fouls in a season, with one more game for every two techs that foul.
Edwards picked up the foul from official Ray Acosta after questioning a foul call in the second quarter. The Minnesota broadcast immediately knew the significance.
Anthony Edwards got another technical foul at a very bad time for Minnesota. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Minnesota won the game 117-91, with Edwards posting nine points on 4-of-11 shooting, five assists and four rebounds. He explained what happened to reporters after the game, adding that he hopes the NBA rescinds the tech:
“They called a foul and I said, ‘Where was the f-ing foul?’ And he gave me a T. I hope they look at it and rescind it so I can play in a couple days … I’m praying they rescind it, because I don’t think it should have been a tech. Me and Ray got a good relationship. We talked it out after the fact, but I still don’t feel like I deserved the tech just for that little gesture.”
The NBA has rescinded technical fouls before, but it’s rare and typically requires extenuating circumstances, such as when Luka Dončić had one such foul wiped out because an official thought the Los Angeles Lakers star was yelling at him, when the words were actually meant for the fan behind him.
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The Timberwolves will likely enter Sunday with their playoff fate still somewhat in the air. They were one of six teams within two games of each other for the No. 3 through 8 seeds in the Western Conference, meaning their potential outcomes ranged from hosting a first-round series to the first game of the play-in tournament.
After a huge win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, Minnesota was the only team of those six to not have to face a playoff or play-in team in its final two games. Now, they’re on track to enter a game against the 17-64 Jazz shorthanded.
As fate would have it, Edwards served his suspension for his 16th tech against the Jazz on Feb. 28. The Timberwolves lost.