Anthony Edwards scored 30 points in three quarters but left the bench area in frustration as the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a 126-102 blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The defeat marked Minnesota’s second lopsided loss in three games.
Edwards threw a towel in the air when Chris Finch pulled the starters with 7:52 remaining. He then departed for the weight room beneath State Farm Arena and declined to speak with media after the game.
“Ant’s obviously frustrated with the performance, and rightfully so, but he needs to stay out on the floor and root for his team,” Finch said.
The Hawks dominated despite playing without All-Star guard Trae Young, ending a seven-game losing streak. Atlanta scored 64 points in the paint against Minnesota’s full-strength lineup and led by 27 points in the second quarter.
Minnesota dropped to 21-13 after also losing 123-107 to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. The Timberwolves reached the Western Conference finals in each of the previous two seasons.
“Not like a team that wants to play for the championship,” Rudy Gobert said. “It didn’t seem like we had any type of energy .. any type of life. … Offensively, it just seems like we were playing an individual sport, and defensively it just feels like there’s not any extra effort. I think the two are connected.”
Kristaps Porzingis returned from a 10-game absence due to illness and provided 16 points in 17 minutes for Atlanta. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 34 points on 15-of-22 shooting, adding 10 rebounds and six assists.
Minnesota faces a weekend back-to-back against the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.
“We have another tough game coming up against another team that plays really, really hard and runs full court,” Finch said. “So, we’ve got to regroup.”