Anthony Edwards Could Return by Games 3-4 — Here's What That Means for Wolves-Spurs Props

Anthony Edwards is not done with this playoff run. As ESPN reported, the Timberwolves star — sidelined since hyperextending his left knee in Game 4 against Denver — was back on the court for light workouts over the weekend, traveled with the team to San Antonio, and is now being discussed internally as a potential Games 3 or 4 returnee against the 62-win Spurs. The medical staff pegged his recovery at one to two weeks. Game 3 lands on Friday night. Game 4 is Sunday. The math is tight, but it's real.

The injury itself — a bone bruise from a block attempt — is the kind that heals on a spectrum entirely dependent on pain tolerance and functional benchmarks, not a fixed calendar. David Hines, the Timberwolves' VP of medical performance, framed it plainly in a video Edwards published Sunday: return timing hinges on pain management, mobility, and functional strength metrics. Edwards is checking those boxes faster than expected. He's been running on an underwater treadmill and, by all accounts, pushing the recovery as hard as the medical staff will allow. The team's caution is real — he's also been carrying persistent right knee inflammation for the past month — but the optimism around a mid-series return isn't spin. It's earned.

Minnesota enters this series as heavy underdogs against San Antonio, and that line was set with the assumption that Edwards would miss significant time. Without him in Games 5 and 6 against Denver, the Wolves still found a way to close the series at home — a meaningful data point about their depth, but not a blueprint they can sustain against a 62-win Spurs team in a seven-game series. The offensive burden in Edwards' absence falls hardest on Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid, and Julius Randle to generate and create. Minnesota's team scoring drops materially without its primary initiator on the floor.

For bettors, the clearest immediate angle is Minnesota's team total in Games 1 and 2. The Wolves without Edwards are a diminished offensive unit — slower pace, less pressure off the dribble, more predictable half-court sets. Lean toward the under on Minnesota's team total in the early games of this series, where his absence is confirmed. On the flip side, player props for DiVincenzo and Reid on assists and points deserve a second look — both see usage spikes when Edwards sits. Once a return date crystallizes, Edwards' own point and PRA props will reset dramatically; he's averaged north of 26 points per game this postseason, and books will be slow to reprice if the news breaks close to tip-off.

The sharpest play may be timing. If Edwards is cleared for Game 3 or 4, the Wolves' spread and team total shift meaningfully — and the market won't have much runway to adjust. Monitor the injury report Wednesday and Thursday with that in mind. This is the kind of situation where information advantage is worth more than any static line.