Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards adjusts as opponents smother him late in games

SAN FRANCISCO – With the trade of D'Angelo Russell to the Lakers, the Timberwolves lost a player who had the capability of scoring in bunches, and multiple times this season Russell helped the Wolves win games they might otherwise have lost because of his shooting.

His absence also allows defenses to home in more on Anthony Edwards in end-of-game situations, and the Wolves' late-game offense in losses to Washington and Charlotte left something to be desired.

Edwards said after Friday's game the Wolves could use Karl-Anthony Towns back for those situations.

These situations have also been a learning experience for Edwards, who is figuring out how to navigate different coverages late in games with the defense centered on him.

"I think a lot of the things he's seeing now he's seen before," coach Chris Finch said. "He's probably just seeing more volume of it. We just keep preaching the same things — make the right play."

That's something Finch said he is preaching to the rest of the offense, since Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson will also have the ball in their hands a lot late in the game. He also added they are asking Conley to be more aggressive when he has the ball.

"Be a little more assertive," Finch said. "We need the ball in his hands a bit more. We addressed some of those things to get him in his best space. He and I are slowly syncing up as we get him more comfortable with more and more things."

When Edwards is double-teamed late in games, the Wolves are trying to tell him not to force the action or force up a shot. Find open teammates and maybe eventually the ball will come back to Edwards when he doesn't have two defenders on him.

"He's just got to stay patient through some of that stuff," Finch said. "He loves the moment, loves the big play. We certainly have a lot of confidence in him to be able to do that and this is part of the growth curve for him, too, and we understand that."

Both the Wolves and Warriors had multiple key contributors out for Sunday's matchup. For the Wolves, Rudy Gobert was a late addition to the injury report and ultimately sat out because of an illness. Jaylen Nowell was out because of left knee tendinopathy, the same injury Edwards dealt with last season.

Taurean Prince missed his second consecutive game because of personal reasons, with Finch adding Prince was not currently on the road trip. The Wolves play three games in California against the Clippers, Lakers and Kings over the next week.

For the Warriors, Stephen Curry remained out because of a left leg injury. Andrew Wiggins was out because of personal reasons, Draymond Green was out because of a right knee contusion and Gary Payton II remained out because of right adductor soreness.