LOS ANGELES (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was suspended one game without pay by the NBA on Friday after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Edwards, who vowed last month that he wouldn't get any more technicals, was called for two of them Thursday night and automatically ejected. He will sit out Friday when the Timberwolves visit the Utah Jazz.
“He’s got to be better. He’s had too many outbursts. I think a lot of them are deserved," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said about Edwards after the 111-102 loss. "They’re going to miss some calls from time to time for sure. We’ve been talking to him about it. It’s on him.”
NBA rules state a player receives a one-game suspension after picking up 16 technical fouls in a season. For every two additional technicals, the suspension will increase by one game.
The league did not say if Edwards would be fined for throwing the ball into the stands after being ejected. He had already been docked $285,000 for five different transgressions, mostly language, when he said after a $50,000 penalty on Jan. 13 for an obscene gesture that he wouldn’t get any more technical fouls.
Crew chief James Williams said in a pool report that Edwards received his second technical for directing profanity toward an official. Edwards was upset after he felt Lakers guard Gabe Vincent should have been called for a blocking foul as Edwards tried to drive.
Finch did come to Edwards' defense in saying that he felt like a foul should have been called.
“It was a block. Just call the block and nothing happens," Finch said. "After that, I don’t really know what was said and what was not said. Clearly, it was a block right in front of me.”
The Timberwolves trailed 74-59 when Edwards was ejected with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter. They rallied to within three midway through the fourth quarter before losing.
Los Angeles' Jarred Vanderbilt and Edwards received technical fouls before the start of the second quarter after both shoved each other at the end of the first quarter.
Edwards, who is fourth in the league in scoring at 27.3 points per game, had 18 points in 26 minutes.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Joe Reedy, The Associated Press
