Edwards picked up his 16th technical foul Thursday night, which results in an automatic one-game suspe Minnesota nsion.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards reacts after a foul is called against him during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Feb. 24, 2025.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards reacts after a foul is called against him during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Feb. 24, 2025. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was ejected from Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles after picking up his second technical foul of the game during the third quarter.
Making matters worse is that the second technical foul was Edwards’ 16th of the season, which means he will receive a one-game suspension and will not be able to play in Friday night’s game against the Utah Jazz. Edwards wasn’t shy about showing his frustration after receiving the second tech and the ejection, throwing the ball into the stands as he exited.
Edwards picked up his first technical foul after the first quarter ended when he got into a shoving match with Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, his former teammate on the Timberwolves. It was entirely avoidable and proved a problem.
Edwards leads the NBA in technical fouls, and now it’s going to cost him as he won’t be able to play against the Jazz. That doesn’t help the Wolves, who are already short-handed and were playing without Julius Randle (groin) and Rudy Gobert (back) Thursday night. They very could be without both players again Thursday night and will for sure be without Edwards.
Edwards is Minnesota’s leading scorer at 27.5 points per game, which ranks fifth in the NBA, and he also averages 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He’s the Wolves’ best player, and the continued struggle to contain his emotions is proving to be costly. What should have been an easy victory Friday night against a struggling Jazz team could now be a battle if the Wolves are severely short-handed without Edwards, Randle and Gobert. Edwards’ absence was avoidable.
Edwards will really need to watch his emotions for the remainder of the season. Now having received his 16th technical foul, for every additional two techs he receives, Edwards would be issued an additional one-game suspension. The Wolves still have 22 regular-season games remaining after Thursday night’s game against the Lakers.
