Anthony Edwards’ teammate Rudy Gobert defends his underperformance in Game 4 loss

In Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 128-126 loss to the OKC Thunder on Monday, the three-time All-Star recorded just 13 field-goal attempts throughout 41 minutes of play. While Edwards said to members of the press following the game that he should have taken more shots, he defended his performance, saying that he made the right plays.

This, in turn, stirred up debate among the NBA community, with ESPN’s First Take duo of Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins criticizing Edwards. Now, ahead of what could be a closeout Game 5 tonight in OKC, Rudy Gobert spoke up in defense of his teammate.

During a media scrum on Wednesday following morning shootaround that was shared with fans via X by Dave McMenamin, Gobert said:

“I thought he was great … We scored almost 130 points. We did what we were supposed to do offensively, we gotta get stops. ... A lot of people think basketball is just about scoring 30 every night, it’s not true.”

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As the four-time Defensie Player of the Year indicated, the team did what it needed to on the offensive end of the floor, it simply needed to get more stops on defense.

Throughout Game 4, Minnesota beat OKC in the rebounding battle, while also logging more free throw makes, and posted a better 3-point percentage than the Thunder.

Despite that, OKC logged 19 stocks (steals + blocks) to Minnesota's 11. Similarly, OKC forced 21 turnovers, while Minnesota forced just 14.

Looking at Anthony Edwards' Game 4 performance against the OKC Thunder, and what the young superstar needs to do in order to help his team stave off elimination in Game 5

As previously mentioned, Anthony Edwards logged just 13 field-goal attempts in Game 4 of the Minnesota Timberwolves' Western Conference finals series against the OKC Thunder.

Early on in the game, Anthony Edwards didn't impose his will offensively like fans are accustomed to seeing. Throughout the first quarter, he didn't record a field goal attempt until there were less than four minutes left.

When Edwards did start to get going offensively, he struggled to find his range from 3, shooting just 1-7 throughout the contest. The performance marked his second game of the series with just one made 3-pointer, with the other coming in Game 2, where he shot just 1-9 from beyond the arc in a 118-103 loss.

The one game this series that Minnesota did win, Edwards shot 5-8 from beyond the arc.

Given that, in addition to taking more field-goal attempts as he suggested following Game 4, the Timberwolves will also need Anthony Edwards to find his range from deep if they want to stave off elimination tonight.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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