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Anthony Edwards will miss at least one to two weeks with right knee inflammation, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced Tuesday, creating uncertainty for the team during a critical stretch of the Western Conference playoff race.
The four-time All-Star guard underwent an MRI after playing through discomfort in recent games, which revealed inflammation in his knee.
The Timberwolves said Edwards will be re-evaluated later this month, though reports indicate the injury is not expected to impact his postseason availability.
Edwards had been listed as questionable in Minnesota's previous two contests but still suited up, scoring 42 points in a road win over the Golden State Warriors before adding 19 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Playoff positioning takes immediate hit
His absence begins Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns in a pivotal matchup between the sixth- and seventh-place teams in the West.
Minnesota enters the game at 41-27, holding a narrow edge over Phoenix in the standings, though the Suns own the tiebreaker. Dropping to seventh place would push the Timberwolves into the play-in tournament, raising the stakes during Edwards' recovery window.
The team plays seven games over the next two weeks - the exact timeline of Edwards' projected absence - placing added pressure on the roster as it attempts to maintain playoff positioning following a 1-3 road trip.
This will mark Edwards' 11th missed game of the season after earlier absences caused by hamstring and toe injuries.
Awards eligibility now in jeopardy
The injury could also affect Edwards' pursuit of postseason honors. Under the NBA's 65-game minimum rule for awards eligibility, players generally cannot miss more than 17 games.
Because Edwards exited an Oct. 26 contest after only three minutes, he currently has 57 qualifying appearances and needs eight more games to remain eligible for All-NBA consideration.
If he misses the full two-week timeline, Minnesota would have only seven regular-season games remaining for him to reach that threshold.
Despite the setbacks, Edwards is enjoying the best scoring season of his career, averaging:
29.5 points per game (career high)
49.2% shooting
5.1 rebounds
3.7 assists
His scoring average ranks third in the NBA behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.
Drafted No. 1 overall in 2020, Edwards had never missed more than 10 games in a season prior to this year, making the current stretch a significant test for both the star guard and a Timberwolves team fighting to avoid the play-in scenario.