He was the star of the show for Team USA at the Etihad Arena in August, but high-scoring Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was not on court to repeat his heroics against the Dallas Mavericks in a sold-out Etihad Arena on Thursday night.
Edwards, so impressive in the same building for Team USA against Germany just six weeks before, was ruled out ahead of the game against the Mavericks with a left ankle sprain in the first of an NBA Abu Dhabi Games double-header in the UAE capital.
But if the fans missed Edwards, Minnesota barely felt his absence as they rolled over the Dallas Mavericks for a 111-99 victory in front of NBA legends including Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Gary Payton and Ray Allen at courtside.
In August, Edwards hit 34 points in a 99-91 comeback win against a Germany side who have since won the Fiba Basketball World Cup in the Philippines.