This season has been clouded with uncertainty for the Phoenix Suns, who have had to navigate a brand new roster, coaching staff and a number of injuries throughout the campaign. However, the regular season ended in victory as they secured the sixth seed with a 125-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. They needed some help, with the LA Lakers beating the New Orleans Pelicans to ensure that the Suns finished above the latter as they had won the tiebreaker between the two. 

It had been a couple of weeks of highs and lows, with the Suns putting themselves in pole position to finish in the top six, before handing the initiative back to the Pelicans with a pair of ugly defeats. It meant that their fate no longer rested in their hands, but they did what they had to do in the final two games, which was win, and hope that either the Golden State Warriors or Lakers would do them a favour.  Heading into the last game, the Suns did their job, as did the Lakers, to set up a first round matchup with the team they had just defeated, the Timberwolves.

Story of the Game

Bradley Beal was the star of the show, just as he had been in their last game against the Sacramento Kings. He provided the spark on both ends of the court, and he set the tone early.  The Suns dominated from the jump, and took a 44-22 first quarter lead, with Beal’s 16 points a huge contributing factor. It was not all him, though, as the active defense forced the Timberwolves into 11 turnovers, which led to 17 points. They ended with 24 total turnovers, whilst the Suns took much better care of the ball with 12.

The Timberwolves offered more of a threat in the second period as they outscored their visitors by nine. But still, they found themselves down 13 at half-time with a big mountain to climb. They were able to keep in the game due to the poise and efficiency of point guard Mike Conley, as well as the dominance of Rudy Gobert in the paint, though his effectiveness was aided by the fact that Suns’ center Jusuf Nurkic had found himself in foul trouble throughout the game.  Backup Drew Eubanks was unable to contain the Frenchman, whilst Gobert was able to also use his size to get the better of Thaddeus Young, who Frank Vogel utilised when going small. The Suns also took some unnecessary swipes at the rim, giving him a number of and-one opportunities.  The Timberwolves in general were able to draw fouls consistently, with them getting into the bonus early on in quarters.

Minnesota continued to claw back some more after half-time, but not once were they able to cut the deficit into single digits. Every time they attempted to make a run, the Suns responded with a dominant stretch of their own. 

If the Timberwolves are to be successful, they will need star man Anthony Edwards to get more involved offensively.  The young talent has enjoyed a fantastic season, but in this game he struggled.  He scored just 13 points in the game, and failed to make a single shot in the second half. Karl-Anthony Towns played his second game back after an 18-game absence due to a meniscus tear, but he had minimal impact with 10 points.

For the Suns, Beal’s 36 points was a game-high, and he achieved this figure in an efficient manner, shooting 66.7% from the field, including draining all six of his three-point attempts. It was a relatively quiet afternoon for the two other components of the big three, with Devin Booker scoring 23 and Kevin Durant recording 15. Grayson Allen, who is the league’s best three-point shooter, showed he has more to his game as he contributed 20 points.  In addition to his three three-pointers, he was a constant threat inside as he drove to the rim. Nurkic, in 20 minutes, added six points, five rebounds and eight assists, as well as five steals.

First Round Matchup

Due to the scores on the final day of the regular season, the seeding means that the Timberwolves and Suns will face off in a seven-game series in the first round. The Timberwolves had occupied the top seed in the Western Conference for a large portion of the campaign, but recent results meant they dropped down to third behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.  As a result they have been rewarded with the task of taking on Durant, Booker and Beal, who all have vast playoff experience.  Consequently, despite their lower position in the standings, the Suns enter as very slight favourites. 

Whilst the post-season offers a brand new slate, the Suns have had the Timberwolves’ number in recent seasons. In three meetings this season, Phoenix have won them all by a combined 47 points.  Edwards has struggled to make a significant impact on the games, scoring 43 total points on 42 shots. Furthermore, since Edwards got drafted in 2021, he has won just twice against the Suns in 13 games. It must be noted that the rosters have not been the same during this time, but mentally this could have an effect on both teams.

It will be an intriguing series, with previous meetings suggesting that this is a nightmare matchup for the Timberwolves. If the Suns can nullify Edwards like they have done all season, then it will be difficult to see their dangerous offense being outscored in four games, even though the Wolves have the league’s best defense.

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Should Nurkic stay out of foul trouble and keep himself on the floor, his rebounding will be crucial, and he can frustrate Gobert at the defensive end, eliminating the lob threat. Alongside Allen, they also have a number of threats beyond the arc, including Royce O'Neale and Eric Gordon off the bench.

In the meantime, the teams have just under a week to prepare for game one, which will be at the Target Center in Minnesota.  The hosts will have plenty of things to work on and ponder, whilst the Suns get some much-needed rest following a gruelling schedule to end the season.