Which NBA underdog team can be trusted?
In the first week of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, five lower-seeded teams — the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers — won a game on the road. Can any of these squads actually win their respective first-round series?
A potentially bad injury day for the Minnesota Timberwolves might have just gotten a lot worse.
All-Star guard Anthony Edwards appeared to suffer a left knee injury Saturday, April 25 late in the second quarter during Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. At the start of the second half, Edwards was not on the floor or on the bench. Later in the third quarter, the Timberwolves ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
The play came with 2:45 left in the first half, when Edwards jumped vertically to defend a Cameron Johnson layup during a fastbreak drive. When Edwards landed, his left knee appeared to hyperextend as his weight came down, and he immediately grabbed at the area, writhing in apparent discomfort. Edwards slapped the court a few times in obvious frustration.
Trainers rushed over as Edwards popped up to his feet. The trainers helped Edwards hobble off the floor, as he did not put any weight on the injured leg.
The trainers helped him toward the tunnel, though they didn’t immediately usher Edwards to the locker room, momentarily examining him in the tunnel.
This injury came just one quarter after Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo suffered a non-contact lower leg injury that knocked him out of the game.
Edwards had been struggling from the floor, shooting 1-of-8 for just 5 points, adding 3 rebounds. At halftime, the Nuggets held a 54-50 lead, as Minnesota’s bench outscored Denver’s by a margin of 36-10.
Throughout his career, Edwards has been fairly fortunate in avoiding major injuries and has usually been available for Minnesota. In his first five seasons in the NBA, Edwards played in 381 of a possible 400 regular season games. Over that span, he had appeared in at least 72 games each season.
This year, however, Edwards battled a few nagging injuries, namely, knee and elbow issues that limited him to just 61 games played. That prevented him from being eligible for individual awards, and Edwards lost an appeal to receive an exemption.
In 61 games this season, Edwards averaged a career-high 28.8 points (which ranked third in the NBA behind only Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. His field goal percentage (48.9%) and 3-point percentage (39.9%) were also career bests.
In February, he was selected to his fourth consecutive All-Star team.
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