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Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
After taking back the top spot in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns. This was the first matchup between the two teams since mid-November, when the Suns took down a tired Wolves team on the second night of a back-to-back 133-115.
Minnesota Head Coach Chris Finch was asked before the game what needs to change compared to the first game against Phoenix.
“Defense. We’ll start there. They blitzed in every way possible. They ran us off the floor in transition to start the game. They shot well in the mid-range, shot 54% from 3, they had it all.”
Finch would go on to say, “It was a long time ago, they kicked our tail and we certainly haven’t forgot.”
With the Suns entering the game as the sixth seed, and just one game ahead of the eighth seed, tonight was another important look at a playoff-caliber opponent, one that could be a first-round opponent for the Wolves depending on how the board shakes out.
As has been the case far too often in the second half of this season, the Wolves dug themselves a hole early, quickly going down 15-0 a little more than three minutes into the game, leading to a Timberwolves timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, the Suns would extend their lead to as many as 17 before Minnesota was finally able to stop the bleeding, finishing the first quarter with a 12-point deficit.
The Wolves would finish the first quarter with seven turnovers that the Suns on the other end converted into 14 points. Minnesota themselves did not have a single point off of a turnover in the first frame despite turning Phoenix over five times.
The sloppy play from the Timberwolves would continue into the second as Minnesota would turn the ball over six more times leading to a 57-41 halftime lead for the Phoenix Suns.
Kevin Durant led the Suns in scoring with 14 points with Anthony Edwards leading the way for the Wolves with 13 points of his own. Naz Reid, who has been fantastic since the injury to Karl-Anthony Towns, finished the first half without a single point, going 0-4 from the field as a result of some strong defense from Durant.
The Timberwolves would reduce their turnovers in the third quarter, but the lid would remain on the basket as Minnesota would only score just 20 points in the quarter, missing countless shots in the paint. Minnesota would also hold Phoenix to 20 points of their own, leading to a 77-61 Phoenix lead entering the final frame.
In the fourth, the Wolves would be unable to mount a comeback with Phoenix’s lead remaining at double-digits right from the beginning of the game when they scored the first 10 points of the game.
In a game that was reminiscent of that mid-November drubbing, the Phoenix Suns took down the Wolves 97-87, with the Timberwolves’ end of the bench players winning the final four minutes and change by 10 points to make the final score look better than the game felt.
Grayson Allen led all scorers with 23 points, with Durant not far behind with 22 on just 14 shots. Edwards led the way for the Timberwolves with 17 points (but on 6/19 shooting), as Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the only other Wolves player in double-digits with 13. The four non-Ant starters combined to score just 23 points on 9/30 shooting and 2/10 from deep, and posted more turnovers (11) than assists (seven).
Minnesota’s 87.0 offensive rating was the worst of the season, clearing the season-opening loss to the Toronto Raptors (93.1 ORTG) by six points.
