Anthony Edwards misses Thursday’s game, making him ineligible for NBA awards

DETROIT — Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards missed Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons with an illness, meaning he will not be eligible for All-NBA honors this season.

Edwards returned for Monday’s game at Dallas after missing six contests with a right knee injury, which put him right up against the league’s 65-game threshold for being eligible for awards. He had to play in every game the rest of the way to stay eligible. Edwards has appeared in 59 games this season, but only played three minutes in one of them, so it does not count toward his total.

Edwards is averaging 29.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range this season. Had he played in enough games, he almost certainly would have been voted to one of the three All-NBA teams. He has been a second-team All-NBA performer the previous two seasons.

Edwards joins a growing list of high-profile players who will not be eligible for awards this season, including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry and Pistons star Cade Cunningham.

Edwards played well in his return in Dallas, scoring 17 points and handing out four assists in 23 minutes. He showed no ill effects from the knee injury and was planning to play against Detroit before getting sick. His availability for Friday’s game at Philadelphia remains in question.

The absence comes at an inopportune time for the Timberwolves, who are in a tight race for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. They entered Thursday’s game against the Pistons in sixth place, a half-game behind fifth-seeded Houston and two back of No. 4 Denver.