Anthony Edwards is getting closer to returning from his right knee injury, but he will remain sidelined Saturday.
So far, the Minnesota Timberwolves are doing just fine without him.
Minnesota (45-28) will go for its fifth win in the past six games when it tips off against the Detroit Pistons (53-20) on Saturday in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves are 4-1 since Edwards was ruled out because of inflammation in his right knee. The team said he would be re-evaluated within 1-2 weeks, and on Friday they provided an update by announcing that Edwards has been cleared to return to on-court activities.
As Edwards ramps up, a couple of his teammates have taken a step back. The Timberwolves have ruled out Jaden McDaniels for Saturday’s game because of right knee soreness, and Ayo Dosunmu is questionable because of soreness in his right calf.
Detroit is no stranger to injury absences, either. Top scorer Cade Cunningham, who last played March 17 against the Washington Wizards, remains out due to a collapsed lung.
Like the Timberwolves, the Pistons also have played well despite the absence of their best player. Detroit is 4-1 since losing Cunningham, and its only loss was a 130-129 setback in overtime against the Atlanta Hawks.
Detroit will try to make it back-to-back wins when it takes on the Timberwolves.
Jalen Duren has taken on an even more prominent role with Cunningham out. The first-time All-Star is averaging 19.5 points and 10.6 rebounds this season, and he matched a career high in his most recent game with seven assists.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Duren’s passing ability made it especially hard on opposing defenses.
“It’s untapped potential,” Bickerstaff said. “Being able to use him as a hub and put the ball in his hands, let him make plays — the growth that he’s shown this year offensively has been through the charts. From reading coverages, reading rotations, being able to make the right read at full speed, he’s just having a phenomenal year.”
This is the first of two games during the regular season between the Timberwolves and Pistons. They also will meet in Detroit next Thursday.
As the postseason looms, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch likely will not try to rush Edwards back. The four-time All-Star could return sometime during a three-game road trip next week that includes contests against the Dallas Mavericks, Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers.
When Edwards does return, Finch said, he will join a defense that has increased its intensity level in recent games.
“Our defense is being led by our on-ball physicality and compete and contain,” Finch said. “That’s what he does elite, so we definitely need him doing that at that level. Our off-ball (defense) has been sharper. We’ve worked on some situations where we want to switch a little bit more off-ball. I think that’s helped us. …
“And I think just being ready to take any matchup. Generally, he’s better against the high-leverage guys, so those are the ones we’ll probably need him to take more of.”
