Anthony Edwards calls Wolves' starting five 'terrible' after Warriors loss

Anthony Edwards called out the Timberwolves' starting lineup after they came out flat in the first quarter of Wednesday night's loss against the Warriors.

"The starting five, we are terrible," Edwards said. "Every game, we come out just low-energy. The second group comes in and gives us energy. I would say the starting group gotta come out with more energy like we wanna play the game of basketball, like we love the game."

Playing at home against a struggling Golden State team that was missing a few key players, the Wolves found themselves trailing 13-0, 26-5, and by as many as 24 points in a first quarter that they lost 34-12. They rallied and won each of the three subsequent quarters, but a couple key plays down the stretch went against them in a 116-115 defeat. Had they not laid an egg in the opening quarter, the game may not have needed to come down to the final few possessions.

Part of the slow start was that the Wolves couldn't buy a shot and the Warriors came out hot, making eight of their first 12 three-point attempts. But part of it, as Edwards mentioned, had to do with things like effort and focus.

"The game was lost in the first quarter," head coach Chris Finch said. "It took us too long to find that gear. ... We didn't start the game with the same type of urgency on offense. I didn't think we were out there working very hard."

It isn't the first time this has happened, either. Earlier this month, the Wolves had to rally from a 27-16 deficit after the first quarter to beat the Clippers by two. In back-to-back losses to the Warriors and Hawks in late December, they were outscored by a combined 61 to 34 in the opening period. Too often, it has felt like the Wolves' starting five — which has recently included Donte DiVincenzo alongside Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert — hasn't come out with the requisite juice from the opening tip.

They often get a burst of energy when Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Mike Conley (formerly DiVincenzo when Conley was starting) come off the bench, but it shouldn't take the second unit coming into the game to provide life.

Edwards, while acknowledging that the Wolves have to come out better to begin games, was happy with the way they battled to get back into the game and give themselves a chance.

"The start was bad," he said. "We know we gotta get better, but I think it's all about the finish. Not like moral victories, but we fought. We was down 10 to 32 in the first quarter, you would've thought it was gonna be like New York (when they lost by 26 to the Knicks last month). But we fought, so I'm proud of that."

They'll look to come out of the gates more effectively in Friday night's rematch with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

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