Anthony Edwards Injury Timeline: When Timberwolves Star Could Return for Spurs Series
The Timberwolves took care of business on Thursday night to knock out the Nuggets in Game 6 and advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs, where they're set to face off against the No. 2-seeded Spurs.
As Minnesota prepares to battle another Western Conference juggernaut, they may be short-handed with star Anthony Edwards still recovering from a bone bruise he suffered in Game 4's win vs. the Nuggets. Edwards jumped up for a block but landed awkwardly and appeared to hyperextend his left knee; he was helped off the court into the locker room and later was ruled out for the rest of the contest.
Edwards luckily avoided any ligament damage, per ESPN's Shams Charania, but was set to miss "multiple weeks" as of April 26.
Following Minnesota's underdog elimination of the Nuggets, when could the Timberwolves star return for the second-round series against the Spurs? Let's take a look.
Anthony Edwards not expected to start second-round series vs. Spurs
On Friday, May 1, Charania provided a new update on Edwards's status. As expected, Edwards is set to miss the start of the Timberwolves' series vs. the Spurs as he continues to nurse his left knee injury.
"Certainly the hope [is he'll return] as the series goes on, but I'm told Anthony Edwards will be out to start the second-round series," Charania said on Get Up. "It starts early next week. That's just over one week since the injury. This is a multi-week, minimum two-week injury. So you're looking at at least a few games before you hope [he comes back]."
Here's a preview of the Timberwolves-Spurs series schedule, with Game 1 set to tip off on Monday night:
- Game 1 @ San Antonio: Monday, May 4
- Game 2 @ San Antonio: Wednesday, May 6
- Game 3 @ Minnesota: Friday, May 8
- Game 4 @ Minnesota: Sunday, May 10
- Game 5 @ San Antonio (if necessary): Tuesday, May 12
- Game 6 @ Minnesota (if necessary): Friday, May 15
- Game 7 @ San Antonio (if necessary): Sunday, May 17
As Charania stated, it's too early for Edwards to return to the court given the nature of his knee injury. Assuming he follows the given two-week recovery timeline, the soonest he might come back is Game 4 vs. the Spurs on May 10. If he's a fast healer, as his "Wolverine" moniker suggests, he could be back for Game 3 on May 8, but it seems more likely he'll be out for the bare minimum of two weeks. Even if the Timberwolves find themselves in an early series hole against the Spurs, the team probably won't want to rush Edwards back.
Yet, it goes without saying that Minnesota will need their four-time All-Star to have a fighting chance to upset DPOY Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, who rolled over the Trail Blazers in five games in their first-round series. The Timberwolves will also be missing Donte DiVicenzo after he tore his right Achilles against the Nuggets. Ayo Dosunmu, Minnesota's unlikely hero in Game 4's victory vs. Denver, didn't play in Game 6's series-clinching win due to a calf injury but could optimistically return in time for Monday's series opener against San Antonio.
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 1:34 PM.