ATLANTA — Anthony Edwards departed from the Minnesota bench and the playing area during a timeout in the Timberwolves’ 126-102 defeat against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
The unexpected and unauthorized departure of the Minnesota star took place during a timeout with 7 minutes and 52 seconds left. Edwards seemingly disagreed with coach Chris Finch’s decision to take out the starters with the Hawks leading 109-80. Edwards threw his towel aside and exited the bench.
After the game, Edwards did not address reporters. Finch remarked that he ought to have stayed on the bench.
«Clearly frustrated with the performance, and understandably so, but he should remain on the court and support his team,» Finch commented.
Edwards topped the team with 30 points, converting 10 of 18 attempts, including three 3-pointers, in 33 minutes.
The high-scoring guard started the evening ranked eighth in the NBA with an average of 29.1 points per game.
He was also ejected in overtime of the Timberwolves’ 142-138 loss at Denver on Thursday, scoring 44 points prior to being ejected for disputing foul calls.
Edwards, a native of Atlanta and former star at the University of Georgia, had friends and family, including his grandfather, present at Wednesday’s game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
