Anthony Edwards survived an injury scare and scored 28 points while shooting 5-of-10 from 3-point range Thursday for the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, who cruised to a 105-90 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Edwards rolled his ankle after he landed on Nets coach Jordi Fernandez while completing his followthrough on a 3-pointer with 3:54 left in the first half.
Edwards immediately headed to the locker room but returned for the second half, when he scored 13 points as the Timberwolves (45-32) won their fourth game in a row.
Minnesota is in tight battle for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Rudy Gobert (21 points, 18 rebounds) posted a double-double for the Timberwolves. Minnesota’s Naz Reid (13 points), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (13 points) and Julius Randle (11 points, eight rebounds) also made key contributions.
Nic Claxton shot 9-for-10 from the field and scored a team-high 18 points for the lottery-bound Nets (25-52), who had their two-game winning streak snapped as they fell to 4-17 since Feb. 24.
Fellow starters Trendon Watford (11 points) and Maxwell Lewis (10 points) also scored in double figures. Reserves Dariq Whitehead and Tosan Evbuomwan added 17 and 13 points, respectively.
Claxton scored consecutive baskets for the Nets to give them an early 7-3 lead, but Gobert and Edwards combined to score the first nine points in a 16-2 run that gave the Timberwolves their first double-digit edge.
The Nets responded with a 15-3 run before Gobert scored five straight points to put the Timberwolves ahead for good. Minnesota gradually extended the lead and took a 49-37 lead into halftime after Mike Conley sank a 3-pointer with 1:01 left.
Brooklyn inched within seven points four times in the third quarter before the Timberwolves carried a 77-67 lead into the fourth. Watford’s hook shot cut the deficit it to 77-71 with 10:18 left, but Minnesota put the game away with an 8-0 run and led by as many as 18 down the stretch.
