Nobody can fill Anthony Edwards’ shoes, but Ayo Dosunmu is doing his best to help.
Dosunmu will look to stay hot as Edwards’ injury replacement in the starting lineup when the Minnesota Timberwolves tip off against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves are 2-0 since losing Edwards, who is expected to miss at least 1-2 weeks as he deals with inflammation in his right knee.
A big reason for Minnesota’s success this week is Dosunmu. He is coming off a stellar performance in which he scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished six assists in 27 minutes in a lopsided win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
The Timberwolves acquired Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls before the trade deadline. He acclimated to his new team as a bench player before Edwards’ injury gave him an opportunity to step into a starting role.
Dosunmu said he has fit in quickly with his new teammates.
“I think it normally blends well with guys (pretty quickly) — genuine energy,” Dosunmu said. “And that’s pretty much all I tried to bring. I’ve been able to connect with the guys. …
“When you’re able to sit down and talk to guys and have articulate conversations with guys and talk to them, not just about basketball, but I started asking them questions off the court, I think that brings you close together on the court.”
In 16 games (two starts) with Minnesota, Dosunmu is averaging 12.8 points per game on 53.6% shooting from the field and 41.5% shooting from 3-point range.
Portland will try to stall the Timberwolves’ momentum. The Trail Blazers have won back-to-back games over the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers, and they are 2-1 heading into the fourth game of a five-game road trip.
Deni Avdija will try to maintain his strong play as the Trail Blazers travel north. Avdija put up 32 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a 127-119 win over the Pacers on Wednesday night.
Portland is eager to pile up more victories as it eyes a shot at the postseason.
“It’s getting really close to the play-in, so we’re paying attention to it,” Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams III said. “But, honestly, we’re just trying to stay focused on ourselves, keep driving, keep putting wins together, and hopefully win a lot of these last 12.”
The Blazers’ most recent performance could inform acting coach Tiago Splitter’s next game plan.
“We relaxed, had three or four bad shots and they just ran at us, hit threes,” Splitter said. “You’ve got to keep focused, (bring) energy. You can’t just relax. The NBA has too many good players to relax.”
Avdija, a first-time All-Star, paces Portland in both scoring (24.2 ppg) and assists (6.7 per game).
This is the fourth and final meeting between the teams during the regular season. Minnesota has won each of its first three games against the Blazers, including a 124-121 victory in the most recent matchup Feb. 24 in Portland.
