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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 05: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves warms up before the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November 05, 2025 in New York City. <\/p>\n
The Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> have been dealing with an injured Anthony Edwards<\/a> over the past few weeks. While going 6-9 in their last 15 games, they are just trying to stay afloat in the Western Conference standings<\/a> to close out the regular season.<\/p>\n Despite still being without Edwards, who has been ruled out for the Timberwolves\u2019 Tuesday game against the Indiana Pacers<\/a>, the team recently received some good news.<\/p>\n With a win against the Pacers and a Phoenix Suns<\/a> loss, Minnesota will clinch a playoff appearance, which would be the franchise\u2019s fifth in a row, all while Edwards has been leading the charge.<\/p>\n Postseason scenarios for Tuesday, April 7 \u2b07\ufe0f <\/p>\n Timberwolves Get Good News, Clinch Playoffs With Win And Suns Loss<\/p>\n So, the Timberwolves need a win against the Pacers, as well as a Suns loss to the Houston Rockets<\/a> on Tuesday to solidify their spot in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.<\/a><\/p>\n While even if both of those outcomes don\u2019t happening, it won\u2019t be the end of the word, as Minnesota still holds a three-game lead<\/a> over Phoenix in the standings, and barring three-straight losses and three-straight Suns wins, they will still eventually grab a spot in the postseason.<\/p>\n Additionally, the Timberwolves look destined to be the sixth seed<\/a> once again. They are three games behind the Rockets, a lead that at this point in the regular season, feels pretty insurmountable, as like with the Suns, there is only one scenario in which the team up North could jump the Texas squad.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the final week of the NBA regular season \u2013 and there\u2019s still so much at stake.<\/p>\n 19 of the 20 postseason teams have yet to clinch their seed.<\/p>\n Check out all the seeding possibilities \u2b07\ufe0f <\/p>\n Even without Edwards, as he continues to recover from a knee injury<\/a>, Minnesota is bound of the postseason once again.<\/p>\n However, in an interesting twist, it\u2019s a realistic scenario that the Timberwolves, now likely bound for the sixth seed, could be rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in the final few games of the season.<\/p>\n The Lakers are without Luka Doncic<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a>, and have since fallen from third to fourth in the standings. But, if Los Angeles does finish third, it would all but guarantee they play Minnesota in a postseason, a rematch of a series that only went five games<\/a> last year in favor of the Edwards-led squad in dominant fashion.<\/p>\n More likely, however, is that the Timberwolves are matched up with the Denver Nuggets<\/a> in the first round, a much tougher matchup against Nikola Jokic<\/a> and an arguably deeper roster.<\/p>\n So, while the Timberwolves fate as the sixth seed is all but sealed, they\u2019ll also want the Lakers to win in order to have a first-round date against a team without its top two scorers.<\/p>\n Anthony Edwards Injury Update GettyPORTLAND, OREGON \u2013 OCTOBER 22: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts against the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> at Moda Center on October 22, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n For now, Edwards remains out for Minnesota with a knee injury.<\/p>\n According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic,<\/a> he is dealing with the same \u2018runner\u2019s knee\u2019 injury that kept Stephen Curry<\/a> out for two months.<\/p>\n \u201c(Head coach Chris) Finch indicated that the Wolves are navigating a similarly unpredictable path with Edwards,\u201d the Timberwolves\u2019 insider wrote. \u201cLike Curry, there is nothing structurally wrong with Edwards\u2019 knee. Doctors have told him he is cleared to play when he feels well enough to go. But on the tougher days, the pain can be significant.\u201d<\/p>\n While Edwards was ruled out for six games in March, he\u2019s only played twice since then, and though he\u2019s listed as day-to-day, there\u2019s no verdict, only optimism, on him being fully healthy for the postsason<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all just kind of part of injury management when you\u2019re coming off an injury such as his,\u201d Finch said. \u201cHe remains day to day. This is kind of the day-to-day. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any great concern for anything longer-term. But we\u2019re still in the uncertain phase.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwards has been ruled out for Tuesday against the Pacers, joining Jaden McDaniels<\/a> on Minnesota\u2019s injury report.<\/a><\/p>\n In 60 games this season, the star is averaging 28.9 points, five rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 48.9% shooting, but has since been ruled out for end-of-season awards.<\/a><\/p>\n While the Timberwolves have struggled without Edwards over the past few weeks, they are close to clinching a playoff spot, likely the sixth seed for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tEli Gregorski<\/a> is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Timberwolves\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t![\"Anthony](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775577675_483_GettyImages-2243065540.jpg\")
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