Anthony Edwards will be looking to find his scoring touch when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. Edwards has been dealing with double teams, leading to a dip in his point totals, averaging just 16.3 points over the last three games. Since the start of last month, Edwards has been held to 20 points or less in eight contests.
In their recent game, Edwards was limited to 15 points, missing 11 of 16 field-goal attempts in a 118-115 loss to Boston on Thursday. Despite this, the 23-year-old is still averaging 24.5 points per game this season, down from a career-high 25.9 points last season. With Karl-Anthony Towns now in New York, defenses have intensified their focus on Edwards. Julius Randle, Minnesota’s second-leading scorer at 20.2 points a game, understands Edwards’ struggles.
The Timberwolves have lost their last two games against top-tier teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics, following a three-game winning streak. This matchup against Detroit will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season, with the rematch set for March 30 in Minneapolis.
The Pistons are coming off a 98-94 win against Charlotte on Friday and have won five of their last six games. They are without starting guard Jaden Ivey, who suffered a broken left fibula during a victory over Orlando on Wednesday. Wendell Moore Jr. started in his place but went scoreless in 15 minutes. Despite trailing by 13 at halftime, the Pistons managed to grind out the win, thanks in part to Tobias Harris’ 24 points.
This game will be the first of a back-to-back set for Detroit. They will look to continue their winning ways and cope without Ivey’s playmaking and scoring.
