Anthony Edwards Frustrated with NBA Refs Despite Wolves Win: ‘We Was Playing 8-on-5’

Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves got a big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, Anthony Edwards felt his team was playing at a disadvantage because of how the referees were calling the game.

Speaking to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon after the victory, Edwards lashed out at the officials without being prompted.

“The refs was bad tonight. Yeah, they was terrible,” he said. “We was playing 8-on-5. … “The cat got their tongue tonight, so it’s all good. It’s not fair, but it’s all good.”

One of the primary sources of Edwards’ frustration occurred late in the fourth quarter when he drove by multiple Thunder defenders for a dunk that put Minnesota up by 101-97. He pointed at his left wrist at the end of the play and was looking at an official to indicate he thought he was fouled.

Edwards went on to say the Timberwolves “didn’t get no calls as a team,” but then as “soon somebody come down from (Oklahoma City) and get bumped, it’s a foul,”

There wasn’t a huge free-throw disparity between the two teams. The Thunder went 17-of-22 from the line, while the Timberwolves made 13 of their 15 attempts. Minnesota was only called for two more personal fouls than Oklahoma City (19 to 17).

Despite Edwards’ frustration, he was able to keep himself composed throughout the game. He led the T-Wolves with 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting in 40 minutes. His postgame comments about the officiating will likely result in a fine from the NBA.

Minnesota has won three of its last four games and remains in first place in the Western Conference with a 33-14 record. The team will open a three-game homestand on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.