Donte DiVincenzo’s season is over with an Achilles tendon injury and the severity of Anthony Edwards’ left knee injury remains unclear, an emotional Minnesota coach Chris Finch said Saturday night after the Timberwolves’ playoff win over the Denver Nuggets.
DiVincenzo was lost 1:19 into Game 4, the nature of his injury immediately suggesting that it was an Achilles issue. Edwards was lost late in the first half, and even without their starting guards the Timberwolves – behind 43 points from Ayu Dosunmu – beat the Nuggets for a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference quarterfinal series.
“I feel completely devastated for Donte,” Finch said.
Edwards’ left knee appeared to buckle as he landed after contesting a layup late in the second quarter. He was helped to the locker room and the Timberwolves ruled him out for the rest of the game with a left knee injury.
DiVincenzo appeared to injure his lower right leg in the game’s opening minutes when he slipped to the court as he raced to chase a ball. He immediately waved to the bench for help and put little to no weight on his right foot as he was helped to the locker room, and he eventually left the arena in a wheelchair.
“Losing those two guys is really tough, tough emotionally for our guys,” Finch said.
Edwards came into Saturday averaging 23 points and eight rebounds in the series, as the sixth-seeded Timberwolves look to upset the third-seeded Nuggets. DiVincenzo averaged 14.3 points and made 11 of 22 3-pointers in the first three games.
“I was heartbroken,” Dosunmu said in the televised on-court postgame interview when asked about the injuries to DiVincenzo and Edwards. “This is for them. Ant, Donte, they mean so much to the organization. I’m sending them prayers. I hope for a speedy recovery. I hope they’re fine, but this game, personally, was for them.”
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