Anthony Edwards did all he could for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night as they battled newly crowned NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
Edwards dropped a team-high 32 points on 12-of-26 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists, a block, zero turnovers and one triple in 40 minutes of action, only for the Wolves to suffer a 118-103 blowout loss.
Minnesota is now in a deep 2-0 hole in this series after also getting themselves blown out in Game 1, 114-88.
It will be very interesting to see how the Wolves react to this deficit now that the series shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. Fans would also want to know what Edwards has to say after suffering big losses in two straight games.
The three-time All-Star, however, made an unexpected decision following Thursday's loss. Edwards opted not to speak to the press in the Wolves locker room after the game.
"Anthony Edwards declined to speak to the media tonight after being fined $50K for a rather innocuous F-bomb the other night," reported Wolves beat reporter Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
As pointed out in the above report, Edwards' decision to skip his postgame interview follows his $50,000 fine from the NBA for his use of profanity after Game 1 on Tuesday.
It is worth noting that Edwards usually makes himself available to the press after games, and he is considered a very media-savvy individual. In all three of Minnesota's previous losses in the postseason, Edwards was more than happy to speak to the press, including after their demoralizing 26-point loss to OKC in Game 1.
It does not seem like Edwards will be punished with another fine after his decision not to talk to reporters on Thursday night. Nevertheless, fans will still want to hear what this outspoken young man has to say now that his team has found itself in a troubling predicament.
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