Western Conference counterparts who are jockeying for position in the crowded postseason chase meet on Wednesday when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Phoenix Suns.
Minnesota brings a three-game winning streak into Phoenix following its 100-92 home win over Atlanta on Monday. Anthony Edwards scored 23 points, Julius Randle had 20 and Rudy Gobert recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Coach Chris Finch lamented the Timberwolves squandering a 17-point halftime lead by giving up 31 points in the third quarter. They also finished with 18 turnovers.
“It’s been addressed already in the locker room, and we move on,” Finch said. “But we have to challenge ourselves to be better.”
Despite some offensive miscues and the third-quarter lapse, Monday marked the 13th game this season that Minnesota held an opponent to fewer than 100 points. The Timberwolves are holding opponents to 107.7 points per game, fourth fewest in the NBA beginning play Monday.
Minnesota holds a half-game lead over Phoenix in the conference, having played one game more than the Suns. Phoenix rides its own three-game winning streak into Wednesday’s matchup, with Monday’s 111-109 defeat of the Los Angeles Clippers marking the Suns’ fifth victory in the last six games.
Devin Booker scored 26 points, dished eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds, while Kevin Durant scored 24 points. They are setting the pace for Phoenix offensively, with Durant averaging 27.1 points per game and Booker not far behind at 25.5.
Booker is also just 118 points shy of tying Walter Davis for the most career points ever scored by a Suns player. Booker has 15,548 following Monday’s win.
“He means everything to the city, and the city means everything to him. It’s just the perfect marriage,” Durant said of Booker. “He’s the perfect person to be the face of the franchise and lead them in all these statistical categories … I know he loves being here in Phoenix.”
Booker has spent his entire NBA career with the Suns, beginning in the 2015-16 season.
While the longtime Phoenix guard will play a pivotal role in the team’s push for the playoffs, the fate of other contributors is less certain ahead of February’s trade deadline. Multiple outlets reported on Monday that Bradley Beal shot down a deal that would have sent the veteran guard to Chicago.
Beal is averaging 16.9 points per game. He has been coming off the bench for the Suns since Jan. 6. Phoenix is 9-3 in that stretch.
If Beal’s fate is unknown, the Suns are integrating Nick Richards into the lineup after acquiring the big man from Charlotte for swingman Josh Okogie.
Richards has grabbed at least 11 rebounds in three of his first five games with the Suns. Richards has moved into the starting rotation with Jusuf Nurkic out of the lineup since Jan. 9.
The Phoenix frontcourt faces a physical matchup against Minnesota’s post players, Gobert and Randle. The Timberwolves could face uncertainty about their frontcourt depth, however, as Naz Reid left Monday’s game with a shoulder injury.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker also exited Monday’s contest with a reported lower-leg contusion.
–Field Level Media
