Anthony Edwards was ejected in the third quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ 111-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday after getting hit with his second technical foul of the evening.
Edwards, who had already picked up a tech for jawing and exchanging shoves with Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt in the first quarter, was whistled for pushing off his defender on the play in question and shortly thereafter said the magic words to get himself a second tech, which carries with it an automatic ejection.
Here’s the clear push off by Edwards:
But Edwards wasn’t done airing his frustration. As he walked off the court, he threw the ball into the stands instead of giving it back to the officials.
This is going to cost Edwards some money, as a fine is surely coming for the front-row fastball. Edwards likely isn’t worried about the money. He’s been fined a bunch this season for using profane language in interviews, and he just started a five-year, $260 million contract.
Where this is really going to cost Edwards and the Timberwolves, in addition to being out for the rest of the loss on Thursday (Minnesota was still within striking distance when he got tossed), is that this is Edwards’ 16th technical foul of the season, which triggers a one-game suspension.
Luckily Minnesota’s next game is against the Utah Jazz, certainly winnable even without Edwards. But you can’t be sure. The Wolves’ offense without Edwards scores just 109.9 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass, which would be a bottom-five rating.
They don’t have anyone else to create much of anything, and they are in a precarious position tied in the loss the column with Dallas and Sacramento for the West’s final Play-In spot. Every game matters with six weeks to go, and not having Edwards, against any opponent, is a major blow.
