Game ID: 42300161
Phoenix Suns @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 3:30 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 27 34 31 28 120PHX 28 23 21 23 95
MIN vs PHX ScoutingMIN vs PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIN availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 16 since 3/07, out tonight
NEW Reid 24 to 32 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backOUT Towns missed 17 since 3/07, out tonight
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 17 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 18 since 3/07, returns tonight: 28 min (84% of 33)
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 16 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restBACK Towns back 4/12 after 18, 28 min since (84% of 33)
MIN availability going into 4/20 · 5 days' restBACK Towns back 4/12 after 18, 28 min since (87% of 33)
MIN availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restBACK Towns back 4/12 after 18, 28 min since (85% of 33)
MIN availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restBACK Towns back 4/12 after 18, 27 min since (82% of 33)
MIN availability going into 4/28 · 1 day's restBACK Towns back 4/12 after 18, 26 min since (80% of 33)
MIN availability going into 5/04 · 5 days' restOUT McLaughlin missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
PHX availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/29 after 2, 9 min since (57% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backBACK Okogie back 4/05 after 2, 3 min since (17% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 4/05 after 2, 2 min since (14% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 4/05 after 2, 2 min since (14% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/20 · 5 days' rest
full strength
PHX availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' rest
full strength
PHX availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' rest
full strength
PHX availability going into 4/28 · 1 day's restNEW Beal 34 to 39 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Gobert at 19 a game. 5 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Beal at 27 and Booker at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 5 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 108 a night to Minnesota's 117 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-1 a night and Phoenix minus-5. Call it Minnesota 114, Phoenix 111, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/09 vs WAS 130-121 — MIN notes
MIN won 130-121. MIN shot 48% (43 of 90) to WAS's 49%, 18 of 41 from three, and went to the line 32 times to WAS's 17 — 26 points from the stripe to their 13. MIN turned it over 8 times to WAS's 13. Edwards led with 51 (17 of 29, 6 of 13 from three, 11 of 11 at the line); Alexander-Walker added 23, Gobert 19. The hinge was Q3, 39-24: MIN came in trailing by 10 and left it ahead by 5, and the lead reached 15. MIN trailed 60-70 at the half and won the second half 70-51. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
4/10 @ DEN 107-116 — MIN notes
MIN lost 107-116. MIN shot 50% (41 of 82) to DEN's 55%, 13 of 30 from three. Edwards led with 25 (9 of 18, 2 of 6 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Conley added 19, Gobert 13. Q1 was theirs, 28-26, but the other 3 periods went 90-79 against them. Gobert's -17 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/12 vs ATL 109-106 — MIN notes
MIN won 109-106. MIN shot 48% (38 of 79) to ATL's 44%, 10 of 37 from three. Gobert led with 25 (10 of 10, 5 of 8 at the line); Reid added 19, Edwards 14. The hinge was Q2, 31-20: MIN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 17.
4/14 vs PHX 106-125 — MIN notes
MIN lost 106-125. MIN shot 51% (36 of 70) to PHX's 55%, 9 of 26 from three, and went to the line 31 times to PHX's 18 — 25 points from the stripe to their 15. MIN turned it over 24 times to PHX's 12, and PHX turned those into 13 steals. Gobert led with 21 (7 of 9, 7 of 9 at the line); Conley added 17, Edwards 13. Q2 was theirs, 31-22, the deficit cut from 22 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 103-75 against them. Edwards's -21 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/20 vs PHX 120-95 — MIN notes
MIN won 120-95. MIN shot 50% (44 of 88) to PHX's 44%, 12 of 32 from three. The glass went 52-28 for them. Edwards led with 33 (14 of 24, 4 of 8 from three); Towns added 19, Alexander-Walker 18. The hinge was Q2, 34-23: MIN came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 27. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
4/23 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Gobert at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Beal at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-5 a night and Phoenix minus-9 and the line, where Minnesota takes 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 21. Call it Minnesota 114, Phoenix 109.
4/26 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 24 and Durant at 23 a game. 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 20 and Gobert at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and Phoenix minus-3 and the line, where Minnesota takes 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 19. Call it Phoenix 111, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
4/28 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 23 and Beal at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 33 from three, 29 free throws a game; Edwards at 22 and Gobert at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-10 a night and Phoenix minus-8 and the arc, Phoenix at 40 percent from three to Minnesota's 33. Call it Minnesota 111, Phoenix 110, Phoenix keeping it close.
5/04 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 16 free throws a game; Jokić at 28 and Murray at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 4 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 29 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Towns at 17 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 12 a night. 5 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the line, where Minnesota takes 29 free throws a game to Denver's 16 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-12 a night and Denver plus-5. Call it Denver 111, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
4/09 vs LAC 92-105 — PHX notes
PHX lost 92-105. PHX shot 34% (30 of 89) to LAC's 47%, 8 of 35 from three, and went to the line 28 times to LAC's 11 — 24 points from the stripe to their 11. PHX turned it over 8 times to LAC's 18. The glass went 38-63 against them. Durant led with 21 (8 of 22, 2 of 5 from three); Beal added 19, Booker 12. Q3 was theirs, 35-18, the deficit cut from 33 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 87-57 against them. Eubanks's -20 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/10 @ LAC 124-108 — PHX notes
PHX won 124-108. PHX shot 48% (46 of 95) to LAC's 46%, 18 of 50 from three. Booker led with 37 (13 of 24, 5 of 12 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Beal added 26, Durant 24. The hinge was Q4, 32-15: PHX came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 16. PHX trailed 55-56 at the half and won the second half 69-52. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/12 @ SAC 108-107 — PHX notes
PHX won 108-107. PHX shot 53% (40 of 76) to SAC's 44%, 12 of 32 from three. PHX turned it over 18 times to SAC's 7, and SAC turned those into 12 steals. Durant led with 28 (11 of 20, 3 of 7 from three); Booker added 21, Beal 20. The hinge was Q4, 30-22: PHX came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 1. PHX trailed 45-54 at the half and won the second half 63-53. Beal was the night's best plus/minus at +8.
4/14 @ MIN 125-106 — PHX notes
PHX won 125-106. PHX shot 55% (47 of 86) to MIN's 51%, 16 of 29 from three, and got to the line 18 times to MIN's 31. PHX turned it over 12 times to MIN's 24. Beal led with 36 (14 of 21, 6 of 6 from three); Booker added 23, Allen 20. The hinge was Q1, 44-22: from level to 22 ahead. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
4/20 @ MIN 95-120 — PHX notes
PHX lost 95-120. PHX shot 44% (33 of 75) to MIN's 50%, 9 of 28 from three. The glass went 28-52 against them. Durant led with 31 (11 of 17, 7 of 9 at the line); Booker added 18, Beal 15. Q1 was theirs, 28-27, but the other 3 periods went 93-67 against them. Durant's -20 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/23 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Gobert at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Beal at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-5 a night and Phoenix minus-9 and the line, where Minnesota takes 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 21. Call it Minnesota 114, Phoenix 109.
4/26 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 24 and Durant at 23 a game. 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 20 and Gobert at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and Phoenix minus-3 and the line, where Minnesota takes 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 19. Call it Phoenix 111, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
4/28 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 23 and Beal at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 33 from three, 29 free throws a game; Edwards at 22 and Gobert at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-10 a night and Phoenix minus-8 and the arc, Phoenix at 40 percent from three to Minnesota's 33. Call it Minnesota 111, Phoenix 110, Phoenix keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Beal
BB B. Bol
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
IT I. Thomas
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
RO R. O'Neale
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
LG L. Garza
MC M. Conley
MM M. Morris
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
PHX/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Timberwolves take down Suns 120-95 in Game 1 behind 33 points from Anthony Edwards
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Anthony Edwards scored 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter and had nine rebounds to carry the Minnesota Timberwolves in a tone-setting 120-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns to start the first round of the NBA playoffs on Saturday.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting and Rudy Gobert locked down the lane with 14 points, 16 rebounds and constant shot-altering defense to lead the Wolves to their first Game 1 home win in the playoffs in 20 years.
The sixth-seeded Suns won all three regular-season matchups in which the third-seeded Wolves trailed by double digits for the entirety of the second halves.
“We just wanted to show we were the desperate team,” Edwards said.
Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting to lead the Suns, whose disadvantages in depth and size were exploited. Devin Booker had 18 points on 5-for-16 shooting and Bradley Beal added 15 points, but the Suns were outrebounded 52-28 and outscored 52-34 in the paint by the Wolves.
Game 2 is in Minneapolis on Tuesday before the best-of-seven series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3.
“It’s going to be hard to beat these guys," said Edwards, who shot 14 for 24. "It’s just one game. They’re going to be ready to go the next time we play them.”
Edwards led a 19-4 run to close the third quarter, stretching his arms wide to connect with the crowd after a couple of his biggest shots down that stretch. He stared and barked at Durant, who could only grin at the 22-year-old's bravado.
With 3:37 left, Edwards put the bow on this performance by stealing the ball from Durant — after Gobert had poked it loose — and finishing with a slam on the other end.
His enthusiasm was contagious throughout the afternoon. After picking up his third foul late in the second quarter, Edwards was twirling a towel on the bench in tribute to the effort to take the lead into double digits for the first time in the game.
Durant, the 14-time All-Star with two championship rings who arrived in the desert a little over a year ago in the first move in the major overhaul of the roster, was in prime playoff form. Be it a fadeaway, a turnaround or a spot-up, the Wolves and their NBA -best defense had no answer when the 6-foot-10 Durant climbed into the air with his smooth jump shot.
But Booker, the anchor of the big three with Durant and Beal who's the only player left from the 2021 team that reached the NBA Finals, had nothing to match. He couldn't get layups to fall, let alone jumpers.
“They've got some great perimeter defenders on that team, so we can do a more creative job of getting him open,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said.
Grayson Allen , the league's leading 3-point shooter, missed all three of his shots and had just four points before leaving with a sprained ankle that puts his availability for Game 2 in question.
The Wolves had sellouts for every home game this season for the first time since they moved into Target Center 34 years ago. Their fans — as antsy for a postseason run as any in American pro sports — brought finals-level energy to the first round that the Wolves have not escaped since their only advancement 20 years ago, a crowd that included former (Adrian Peterson) and current (Justin Jefferson) Vikings stars.
The big-money players gave the Wolves what they needed, but one of their edges in this series ought to be a bench that backed it up with a 41-18 scoring advantage on the Suns' reserves.
Alexander-Walker was in the thick of the second quarter surge, highlighted by his interception of a stray pass by Allen in the lane to key a fast break layup near the final minute of the half. Alexander-Walker hit a corner 3-pointer right before the third-quarter buzzer for a 20-point lead.
“It’s a make-or-miss league,” Durant said. “You’ve got to knock down shots if you want to win.”
Minnesota went 20 for 22 from the free-throw line. Towns was 8 for 8, and Gobert went 6 for 7.