Timberwolves hold Edwards out for second straight game with sore foot and finish strong again

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves were missing star Anthony Edwards again.

Their poise was present and accounted for.

With Edwards absent for the second straight game on Sunday with soreness in his right foot, his teammates picked up the slack after a sluggish start — and delivered another steely performance down the stretch on the way to a 117-103 victory over Sacramento.

The Timberwolves outscored the Kings 29-19 over the final 12 minutes, a league-leading eighth time this season they've had a 10-plus-point advantage in the fourth quarter.

“I think our composure down the stretch has gotten a lot better. Our ability to make the right read — and certainly shot making — has helped in those moments,” coach Chris Finch said.

The Timberwolves (17-9), who have won seven of their last eight games, exacted a measure of revenge for their 117-112 overtime loss at Sacramento on Nov. 24 when they blew a 10-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.

That game came three nights after they fumbled an eight-point lead with 49 seconds left at Phoenix and lost 114-113.

“We talked about how we need to be better in closing games and the themes that popped up,” Finch said, “and guys have done a good job of addressing that.”

Edwards has been considered day-to-day with his availability. Finch said before the game the injury “hasn't calmed down to the point where he's able to go.”

Backup point guard Mike Conley was also sidelined on Sunday, the 19-year veteran's second straight absence due to a right Achilles tendon injury. The short-handed backcourt meant another start for Bones Hyland, who has recently worked his way into a more meaningful role. Then center Rudy Gobert left the game midway through the third quarter for what the team announced as personal reasons.

The absence of the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner down the stretch forced Naz Reid to play the last 20 minutes of the game. The 2024 Sixth Man of the Year award winner finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and made sure the interior defense didn't collapse without the long arms of Gobert.

“A lot of the times we kind of understand the sense of urgency in the second half,” Reid said. “It’s nice to kind of have that at the end of the game, but I think we just kind of figure it out as the game goes on. As the second half comes, we kind of all-the-way turn it on, which is like not normal, but we’ve been getting the wins.”

Edwards missed four games earlier this season with a strained right hamstring. The three-time All-Star, who is eighth in the NBA with an average of 28.7 points per game, has already tallied his most absences since the 2021-22 season when he played in 72 games.

With the Timberwolves in a slower stretch of the schedule, Edwards could get eight days of rest while only missing the two games. Minnesota hosts Memphis on Wednesday.

“It’s such a bummer, but sometimes it’s good for some players,” Hyland said. “Sometimes it’s just God opening a door for you. You still want to be there for your teammate if he’s injured, be a good person, good teammate, but also step up. When someone goes down, we’re all a team.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards watches from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, left, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry speak after an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, center, reacts from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Senegal has an unlikely new hero, and he did not even play in the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final won by his country.

In a bizarre turn of events, Senegal’s second-choice goalkeeper Yéhvann Diouf spent long spells of Sunday's match protecting the towels used by starting keeper Edouard Mendy from repeated attempts by ball boys to snatch them.

Diouf's efforts have been praised by fans as being almost as crucial as the extra-time winning goal scored by Pape Gueye, which secured Senegal’s second Africa Cup of Nations title.

Goalkeepers often keep towels close to them to wipe themselves and their gloves, especially in wet conditions such as those during Sunday’s final in Rabat.

Diouf had a crucial role on the sidelines, fighting off the assaults. At one point, he was chased by ball boys along the touchline. Some videos also show him lying flat on the pitch, shielding one of the towels, while a young man tries to wrestle with him.

In other footage filmed from the stands, Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi can be seen throwing one of Mendy's towels over advertising boards. At another moment Morocco midfielder Ismaël Saibari tried to prevent Diouf from handing a towel to Mendy.

Praising the tireless work of the second-choice goalkeeper, one social media user wrote on X: “Yehvann Diouf’s work, guys. You’ve earned the respect of an entire country. SOLDIER.”

Diouf made light of the situation, later posting a picture of him biting on his medal and holding a towel, with the caption: “Here it is (the medal and the towel).”

Speaking to reporters after the match, Diouf said he did not understand why the opposing side got so obsessed with the towels.

“Maybe people read something into those towels, but in any case they were only used to dry the gloves and the face when it’s raining,” he said. “I was just as surprised as you were, but like the team as a whole, we stuck together, and Edouard was able to get the towels he needed.”

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

A ball boy throws a towel used by Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A ball boy attempts to grab a towel from Senegal's second-choice goalkeeper Yéhvann Diouf as he holds it for Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

A ball boy attempts to grab a towel from Senegal's second-choice goalkeeper Yéhvann Diouf as he holds it for Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco's Ismael Saibari tries to prevent Senegal's second-choice goalkeeper Yéhvann Diouf from handing a towel to Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy dries his face while Senegal's second-choice goalkeeper Yéhvann Diouf waits to collect it from him, during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Osoque Mendy, right, approaches Morocco's Brahim Abdelkader Díaz before he took a penalty during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)

Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Osoque Mendy saves a panelty from Morocco's Brahim Abdelkader Díaz during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)

Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Osoque Mendy saves from Morocco's Ismael Saibari during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)

Senegal's head coach Pape Thiaw and Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Osoque Mendy, center, celebrate after winning the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Youssef Loulidi)

Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Osoque Mendy clears the ball in front of Morocco's Abdessamad Ezzalzouli during the Africa Cup of Nations final soccer match between Senegal and Morocco, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)