Anthony Edwards was suspended for Friday’s game in Utah without pay, the NBA announced hours before the contest. The suspension was the result of Edwards picking up his 16th technical foul on Thursday against the Lakers.
The Timberwolves guard picked up tech No. 15 in that same contest, a double technical called against he and Jarred Vanderbilt amid a minor altercation between the former teammates.
In the second half, Edwards made contact with Lakers guard Gabe Vincent and fell to the floor. While down there, he grabbed the ball and shouted a few words in the direction of a ref, resulting in the second tech of the evening and an immediate ejection.
Crew chief James Williams, per the postgame pool report, said Edwards directed “profanity toward the game official.”
As Edwards walked off the floor, he threw the ball into the stands. That likely erased any possibility of having either technical foul rescinded by the league.
It appears as though Edwards is the first player to receive a suspension for accruing 16-plus technicals before the calendar even flipped to March since DeMarcus Cousins in 2017. Every two additional technical fouls Edwards receives between now and the end of the regular season will result in another one-game suspension. The count resets for the postseason.
But if Edwards keeps receiving technical fouls at his current rate, the 23-year-old guard will miss another two to three regular-season games. Minnesota can’t afford that given its current position in the Western Conference standings.
The Wolves entered Friday’s slate in a tie for eighth place in the West. While a strong finish to the year could vault Minnesota into the top six, and out of the play-in tournament, any stumbles could mean they have to win two play-in games just to reach the playoffs.
Mike Conley told reporters after the game that Edwards apologized to his teammates.
Edwards “has got to be better,” Wolves coach Chris Finch told reporters after the Lakers game. “He’s had too many outbursts. I think a lot of (the techs) are deserved. They’re going to miss some calls from time to time, for sure. So, he’s got to be better. We’ve been talking to him about it, so it’s on him.”
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