Edwards optimistic Wolves will 'figure it out'

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Despite his squad being outscored by 30 points successful the 2nd fractional of a lopsided 114-88 Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder to unfastened the Western Conference finals Tuesday, Minnesota Timberwolves prima Anthony Edwards flashed his signature assurance afterwards.

"I consciousness great," Edwards said aft scoring conscionable 5 points aft halftime, finishing with 18 points connected 5-for-13 shooting.

Edwards backed up his bravado with a program to get backmost successful the bid successful Game 2 connected Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): little organizing the Wolves' discourtesy and much generating it.

"I decidedly got to sprout more," Edwards said. "I lone took 13 f------ shots. ... Probably conscionable get disconnected the shot a small more, play without the ball. I deliberation that volition beryllium the answer. Because playing connected the ball, they're conscionable going to treble and beryllium successful the gaps each day.

"So, got to spell ticker immoderate movie and prime it apart. We'll fig it out."

Not lone were Edwards' 13 attempts his fewest successful 11 games this postseason, but lone 1 of those bleeping attempts was taken wrong the paint.

Edwards said that the Thunder's schemes dictated his attack successful Game 1. When asked if his close ankle -- which helium turned successful the archetypal fractional and caused him to retreat to the locker country to person it evaluated -- affected his performance, helium replied, "No."

"I mean, they clogged the paint," Edwards said. "That's what they do. They don't got overmuch size down there, truthful they slope connected america not making shots, I guess. Because each clip I spell to the rim it's similar 4 radical successful the paint."

Indeed, the Wolves went from scoring 72 points successful Game 5 of the league semifinals to adjacent retired the Golden State Warriors to conscionable 20 connected Tuesday successful Oklahoma City -- the fewest overgarment points successful a playoff crippled for the franchise since Game 1 of the 2004 league finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN Research.

While Edwards was a consenting passer, Minnesota was disconnected the people each night. The Wolves changeable 29.4% connected 3-pointers (15-for-51) - accounting for the astir attempts from heavy successful a playoff crippled successful franchise history.

"We had bully looks, we conscionable person to marque shots," said Wolves defender Donte DiVincenzo, who changeable 3-for-12 connected 3s disconnected the bench. "Myself, I person to marque a mates shots and it loosens up the defence for Ant. It's a domino effect."

DiVincenzo isn't the lone Minnesota subordinate who was disconnected beyond the arc. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was 2-for-9, Mike Conley was 1-for-5, Naz Reid was 0-for-7.

"Sometimes, the passes were late," Wolves manager Chris Finch explained. "Sometimes we weren't rather changeable ready. Sometimes we request to crook them into different plays. But I did deliberation we got a fig of truly bully looks and couldn't link erstwhile the crippled was turning against us."

Edwards figured if the Thunder are going to instrumentality distant shots astatine the rim for him, he'd alternatively beryllium the 1 arsenic the recipient for catch-and-shoot opportunities, alternatively than perpetually passing retired of treble teams passim the night.

"I should beryllium each right: play without the shot a small more, get a small much cardio in," Edwards said. "I should beryllium good."

As Edwards delivered his postgame remarks, his seasoned teammate, Julius Randle, sat adjacent to him astatine the postgame podium.

Randle led Minnesota with 28 points connected 9-for-13 shooting, but lone 8 of those points came aft halftime - and nary of those points came connected 3s aft helium changeable 5-for-6 connected 3s successful the archetypal half.

"That's connected me, I got to get him the ball," Finch said of Randle. "I got to get him much progressive to commencement the 2nd half."

But a program is conscionable speech until its executed. Minnesota spoke advertisement nauseum astir needing to support the hoops successful Game 1 -- and proceeded to perpetrate 19 turnovers resulting successful 31 points for the Thunder.

The Wolves mislaid Game 1 against the Warriors, too, and reeled disconnected 4 consecutive wins to advance. Randle said they can't simply program connected a bounceback triumph successful Game 2 based disconnected that.

"We proved that we tin bash it, but we got to marque it happen, too," Randle said. "We can't conscionable beryllium like, 'All right, we did it past bid ... we're going to bash it again.' This is simply a large team. They've been playing large hoops each year. So, the bully happening is we proved to ourselves that we tin bash it. But we got to marque it happen."