Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards sidelined because of hamstring injury

Anthony Edwards hasn’t missed long stretches of games in his career. The Timberwolves guard never has played fewer than 72 games in a season, and he has never missed more than six consecutive games in a season.

All those marks are in jeopardy, and his teammates will have to make do without him for at least a few games.

Edwards will be sidelined because of a right hamstring strain he suffered in Sunday night’s game against Indiana. The team said in a news release that an MRI exam revealed the strain, that Edwards “will be re-evaluated in one week, and further updates of his progress will be provided when available.”

“Obviously, we’re gonna miss him,” coach Chris Finch said before Monday night’s late game against Denver. “His ability to take over a game, put together runs, do all the special things that he can do. But we feel like we have a deep team, and this is when a deep team helps you.”

Edwards, an All-Star guard, exited Sunday’s game after he played just over three minutes in the first quarter. He often leaves games and heads to the locker room only to re-emerge fine minutes later. That didn’t happen this time. Edwards came back to the bench out of uniform.

The Wolves still beat the Pacers 114-110 behind 31 points from Julius Randle. Veteran guard Mike Conley was set to start in Edwards’ place against the Nuggets.

The Wolves hosted Denver late Monday at Target Center, beginning a stretch of eight games in 15 days.

The focus of the offense will be on Randle with Edwards out, given Randle’s ability to create his own shots and make plays to set up his teammates. But the Wolves will need more contributions up and down the roster.

They got those Sunday when Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 18 rebounds; Naz Reid had 16 points and 10 rebounds; and Donte DiVincenzo added 17 points. A big adjustment for the Wolves will be how they operate in clutch time, when Edwards frequently has the ball in his hands. Against Indiana, the Wolves showcased some pick-and-roll combinations with Gobert that led to some easy baskets late. They will also play through Randle more often down the stretch of games.

“Execution is going to be key,” Finch said. " I think, continuing to shuffle the deck [in those situations]. ... I think that might just open up some more kind of unexpected contributors, too."

Edwards came into the season dealing with another injury. He said he almost didn’t play in the opener against Portland after the team listed him as questionable because of back spasms.