PHOENIX – There was one thing that Sunday night’s 116-98 Timberwolves victory over the Suns made clear for the remaining 20 games this season: It’s going to be hard for Anthony Edwards to make it without picking up another one-game suspension for accruing two more technical fouls.
Even Edwards admitted that himself after an eventful night, but one in which he made it through without picking up his 17th technical of the season ... though there were moments that tried his temper.
This was his first game back after serving a one-game suspension in Friday’s loss at Utah, an absence that came after Edwards picked up two technical fouls Thursday against the Lakers.
Edwards began the night with a more muted demeanor. You could see there were moments, like when Kevin Durant made contact with him in the third quarter, that he wanted a foul called. He turned to an official, arms extended as if to say, “Where’s the foul?” but quickly let it go and ran back down the floor.
“Just be a little more civilized out there, man,” Edwards said after the game. “Understand the refs are gonna make mistakes, just like humans. Everybody make mistakes. Just being able to go talk to them without cussing at them is something I tried to do.”
If the rest of the night was any indication, that is going to be easier said than done.
Initially, he prevented that kind of quick emotional “outbursts” that coach Chris Finch said can cost him with the officials. On Friday, Finch bemoaned the fact that the volume of technicals Edwards is receiving might be affecting his reputation, that it obscures Edwards’ joyous personality and positive impact overall on the game. He, too, is human and prone to make mistakes.
“He’s gonna have to keep working on it,” Finch said. “He plays with a lot of joy, and then he has these outburst moments which put a lot of pressure on the situation, and those he’s got to keep in check. There were a few early in the game where I saw he did a good job of tempering his reaction.”
