The Nets’ 105-90 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night time at Barclays Middle featured a little bit of controversy.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards shot a 3-pointer from the correct nook with 3:54 left within the first half, and after the make, by accident backpedaled onto the foot of Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez and twisted his ankle.
Cam Johnson, who missed Thursday’s recreation due to a decrease again contusion, appeared to acknowledge the severity of Edwards’ harm straight away. Timberwolves trainers helped the three-time All-Star off the court docket and into the locker room.
Fernandez, who sometimes sits just a few seats down from the highest of the Nets’ bench between assistants, was standing on the sideline and strolling towards the baseline when the accident occurred.
Whereas the first-year head coach didn’t seem to have any in poor health intent, some followers rapidly took to social media to query why Fernandez was standing thus far down the bench to start with, and why he was so near Edwards throughout his taking pictures movement.
Edwards declined to talk with the media postgame.
“I was out of bounds trying to move out of the way,” Fernandez mentioned. “I definitely have to be faster than that. Player’s health is the most important thing in the game, so next time I just have to move faster.”
Fortuitously, it seems Edwards averted the worst. Regardless of being helped off the court docket, he began the second half and completed with a game-high 28 factors on 10-for-15 taking pictures, with 5 rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes.
The Timberwolves are conversant in in-game collisions between participant and coach. Through the 2024 playoffs, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch suffered a nasty knee harm after a sideline collision with guard Mike Conley and wanted surgical procedure to appropriate the difficulty.
So far as Thursday’s recreation itself, the Nets noticed their two-game win streak snapped and fell to 25-52 this season. Fernandez prioritized youth within the loss, as Dariq Whitehead, Reece Beekman, Tosan Evbuomwan, Drew Timme and Tyson Etienne have been all featured within the staff’s rotation and performed important minutes.
D’Angelo Russell performed simply 12:37 minutes within the loss and went scoreless.
“No. 1 is to give a look at these younger guys during an important part of the game where you can see how they handle it,” Fernandez mentioned when requested about Russell’s utilization. “But yeah, he’s been dealing with the ankle, just trying to be smart with that, too.”
Whitehead, Beekman, Evbuomwan, Timme and Etienne closed the primary quarter on a 10-1 run to chop Brooklyn’s deficit to 1 level getting into the second quarter. The wild factor is, that group spent most of this season within the G League. However Minnesota prolonged its result in 49-37 by halftime and did simply sufficient offensively within the second half to maintain the sport out of attain.
Nic Claxton completed with a team-high 10 factors on 9-for-10 taking pictures, with six rebounds and 5 assists in 24 minutes. Maxwell Lewis added 10 factors, 5 rebounds and two assists in his first profession begin.
Brooklyn will return to motion on Sunday towards the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Middle.
Initially Printed: April 3, 2025 at 10:02 PM EDT
