Anthony Edwards knows he has to be much better following the Minnesota Timberwolves' lopsided 114-88 Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I definitely got to shoot more," Edwards told reporters postgame, including ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I only took 13 f-----g shots. ... Probably just get off the ball a little more, play without the ball. I think that will be the answer. Because playing on the ball, they're just going to double and sit in the gaps all day.
"So, got to go watch some film and pick it apart. We'll figure it out."
Edwards managed just 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting to go along with four turnovers. It was the fewest field-goal attempts for the All-Star guard this postseason.
Edwards' bread-and-butter all season was his ability to get into the teeth of the defense. The 23-year-old averaged 8.5 points on 13.2 drives per contest during the regular season. He had just one field-goal attempt in the paint against the Thunder in Game 1.
Edwards credited Oklahoma City's defensive scheme for forcing him to become a passer.
Julius Randle was the only other T-Wolves player to register double digits in scoring, tallying a team-high 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting.
The Thunder's top-ranked defense held Minnesota to 29.4% shooting from deep and 34.9% overall.
"I mean, they clogged the paint," Edwards said. "That's what they do. They don't got much size down there, so they bank on us not making shots, I guess. Because every time I go to the rim, it's like four people in the paint."
The Timberwolves will try to avoid going down 0-2 when they square off with the Thunder again Thursday.
