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Anthony Edwards Facing Major Accusation From Charles Barkley After Injury vs. Warriors

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated May 9, 2025 7:33 AM ET

The Minnesota Timberwolves had to win in Game 2 on Thursday night. The Golden State Warriors shocked them in Game 1, as the Wolves suffered a 99-88 home loss at Target Center in the series opener.

Losing was not an option for Minnesota on Thursday, and they made sure to even out the series via a convincing 117-93 blowout win against a Warriors side that did not have the services of the injured Steph Curry.

Anthony Edwards stepped it up for the Wolves in Game 2, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-22 shooting, to go along with 14 rebounds, two assists, three steals, a block and one triple in 42 minutes of action.

Edwards did all that despite suffering an ankle sprain in the second quarter. The 23-year-old had to be helped off the court in a scary moment, but Edwards was able to start the second half.

After the game, NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley could not help but call out Edwards for his behavior during the game. According to the Hall of Fame power forward, Edwards may have exaggerated his injury on Thursday night.

"This is Paul Pierce-like right here," Barkley said after seeing Edwards writhing in pain after his ankle injury in the first half. "The only thing he was missing was the wheelchair.

"... This dude looked like he'd be dying out there. He'd get back up like that's wrong. ... Come on, man. Stop it."

Charles Barkley has jokes for Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/7dHAxsH6rf
— Paolo Songco (@PaoloSongcoNBA) May 9, 2025

Barkley accused Edwards of pulling off a Paul Pierce, which is a reference to the former Boston Celtics superstar's infamous wheelchair incident during the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Barkley couldn't help but roast Edwards for reacting to the injury the way he did, only for the Wolves superstar to check back in the game shortly after the incident.

For what it's worth, the ankle did not seem to bother Edwards in the second half. Minnesota has not provided an official update on the three-time All-Star's injury, and it appears that this is not going to be an issue moving forward.

Game 3 in Chase Center is on Saturday as the Warriors look to make amends for Thursday's embarrassing blowout.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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