Anthony Edwards is six seasons in with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and during this time, the franchise has experienced one of its most promising eras in two decades. In the 2023-24 season alone, Minnesota posted an impressive 56-26 regular-season record. They went to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and made a memorable run to the Western Conference Finals. That was their first appearance since 2004. And this season, the Twolves would want nothing less. Yet their early rise had hit a block.

That rise came when Anthony Edwards opened the Timberwolves’ 2025-26 season with a statement 41 points against the Portland Trailblazers. That was an intense clash, but it only worked in favor of the Twolves in the second half; ultimately, the score stood at 118-114. Now Minnesota faces the Lakers tonight, in their second clash of the season. But will we see ANT on the floor tonight?

Is Anthony Edwards playing tonight vs. the Lakers?

Well, sadly, Anthony Edwards is not playing tonight. For now, he continues to recover from a right hamstring strain. He was in visible pain in the first quarter of the Timberwolves’ home opener against the Indiana Pacers. The injury occurred just minutes into the game, forcing him to exit after 3 minutes and 8 seconds of play.

Since then, Edwards has missed Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets and even Monday’s matchup. The team has confirmed that he’ll remain sidelined for at least another week. According to Shams Charania, the initial medical evaluation suggested a two-week recovery window. This places the injury in the mild-to-moderate range, because hamstring injuries can be tricky to recover from. In a way, Edwards and the Wolves avoided the worst-case scenario.

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Since hamstring injuries can often become long-term setbacks. The team announced that Edwards will be re-evaluated in one week, while Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic had reaffirmed the two-week timeline but cautioned that soft-tissue injuries must be managed carefully.

It is a tricky situation for the team itself. They faced the Los Angeles Lakers on October 24, marking their first marquee test, while Edwards was still active. Despite his strong showing, the Timberwolves fell 110-128 on the road. Edwards finished with 31 points. Not only that, he ended up with 5 rebounds and 3 assists as well.

While Edwards’ hamstring strain marks a star absence, it appears the team is relatively healthy. That means the Wolves might still have most of their supporting cast intact. That is not the case for the Lakers right now. They are dealing with significant absences. Both LeBron James (right sciatica) and Luka Doncic (finger/leg)have been ruled out. However, Austin Reaves has stepped up in their absence, emerging as a dangerous scoring threat. It will be interesting to see how the lineup will unfold for both teams.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers predicted lineups

Here is how the predicted starting lineups for both teams can look. Though they could change before the game begins.

Where to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the Los Angeles Lakers game

The Timberwolves will look for scoring from Julius Randle and spacing from Donte DiVincenzo, while fans can look for Terrence Shannon Jr., who could see extended minutes. And if you are wondering, here is how you can watch the game.

• Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. Central Time) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Where to Watch: Nationally on ESPN.

• Location: Target Center, Minneapolis

The Minnesota Timberwolves do appear to have an upper hand heading into this matchup, now that the Lakers do not have Luka. Their frontcourt looks more cohesive and defensively reliable than the Lakers’ current rotation.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers, weakened by the absence of their star engines, will depend heavily on Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart. Either way, the match-up promises to be intense and fiery, and most of all, unpredictable.