Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been turning in an very strong fifth NBA season. The 23-year-old guard entered Thursday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets averaging 27.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 73 games for Minnesota.

Looking to escape the Play-In Tournament and secure a top-six seed in the Western Conference, Edwards and the Timberwolves took a 49-37 lead into halftime against Brooklyn. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft was turning in another strong performance with 15 points in just 14 minutes of action when he went down with an apparent ankle injury after stepping on Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez.

Edwards was helped to the locker room which created a lot of concern. Fortunately for the Timberwolves, the star guard has emerged from the locker room and will start the second half.

“UPDATE: Anthony Edwards is back after that injury scare and playing to start the 2nd half,” The Daily Wolves of reported on X.

The health of Edwards is major for the Timberwolves, not only as they attempt to finish off a win against Brooklyn, but because the team is amid a tightly-contested seeding battle in the Western Conference. Entering play on Thursday, the Timberwolves were tied in the standings with the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies.

Each with identical 44-32 records entering Thursday, Minnesota, Los Angeles and Memphis are battling for an automatic playoff qualification. Had Edwards been forced to miss time, it could have significantly disadvantaged a Timberwolves team that relies on him to make big plays on both ends of the court.