MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota star Anthony Edwards was slapped with his NBA -high 18th technical foul of the season for complaining about a call Friday night, prompting an automatic suspension for the next game that the Timberwolves will need to win to improve their seed for the playoffs.
Edwards was whistled for a personal foul while closely guarding Brooklyn’s Keon Johnson on the wing midway through the second quarter. After spreading his arms out in disbelief with a furrowed glance at official Ray Acosta, Edwards quickly got the technical, too.
NBA rules dictate a one-game suspension for any player who reaches 16 technical fouls during the regular season. Each two additional technicals trigger another suspension. The league has the right to review and rescind a technical foul, which the Timberwolves will hope for considering they lost at Utah on Feb. 28 the first time Edwards was suspended.
The Timberwolves host the Jazz on Sunday in the regular-season finale, with the opportunity to land as high as fourth in the Western Conference but yet to secure a top-six finish that would keep them out of the play-in games.
