Anthony Edwards knows the Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance to advance to the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night.
Edwards also knows it is dangerous to take anything for granted.
“You can’t get comfortable,” Edwards said. “You can’t get comfortable in the NBA — especially not in the playoffs.”
Minnesota will try to close out its series against the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves hold a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series and hope to avoid a return trip to the West Coast for Game 6.
The Warriors won the series opener but have not been the same since Stephen Curry left during Game 1 because of a hamstring injury. Curry will miss his fourth consecutive game Wednesday.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr acknowledged that Curry’s absence has been hard on the team. Several players have struggled to knock down shots, including second-year guard Brandin Podziemski and veteran forward Draymond Green.
“The series changed with Steph’s injury, so everybody’s shots are going to be more difficult,” Kerr said. “Steph’s a guy who breaks the defense down for us and creates that offensive flow. I think the end result is that shots are more difficult for every single guy.”
Jimmy Butler leads the Warriors with 21 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting in the series, but he also has faced challenges in finding open space on the court.
“Ideally we could put more shooting around him to open up the floor a little bit,” Kerr said. “But with Steph out, we’re not going to be able to do as much of that. With that said, we’ll look at the tape and see where we can find some openings for him, and I’ll know he’ll be aggressive for Game 5.”
The Timberwolves also emphasized the importance of being aggressive on Wednesday. That starts with top scorers Edwards, who is averaging 27.3 points per game in the series, and Julius Randle, who is averaging 24.3 points.
Randle said everyone on the Timberwolves understood what was at stake as they looked to advance to the conference finals for the second straight season. Minnesota trailed by two points at halftime in Game 4, and Edwards challenged his teammates to play harder in the second half.
“We just couldn’t take the opportunity that we have lightly,” Randle said. “We had a chance to go up 3-1 on their home court. In Game 5, we have a chance to close out on our court. We’ve got to take advantage of these moments.”
Edwards has drawn the Warriors’ attention on defense and earned praise from Kerr and others, but he said the Timberwolves were on the cusp of advancing because of every player’s contributions.
“Those guys are like my brothers,” Edwards said of his teammates. “It’s nothing like seeing them compete and produce at a high level because that makes everybody happy.
“I can’t wait to come in here and praise them every time, every chance I get. Because I know everybody wants to give me the credit, but I can’t do it without those guys. They are the MVP every night, every single night.”
