Game ID: 22300197
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 9:00 PM ET
Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 35 41 34 23 133MIN 29 25 28 33 115
MIN @ PHX ScoutingMIN @ 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.
PHX availability going into 11/05 · back-to-backOUT Bol missed 3 since 10/31, returns tonight: 3 min (24% of 11)
BACK Booker back 11/02 after 3, 35 min since (97% of 36)
BACK Bates-Diop back 10/28 after 2, 16 min since (104% of 15)
BACK Metu back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (31% of 12)
NEW Okogie 16 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Goodwin 14 to 19 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/08 · 2 days' restOUT Booker missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Bates-Diop back 10/28 after 2, 17 min since (110% of 15)
BACK Metu back 10/28 after 2, 3 min since (25% of 12)
BACK Bol back 10/28 after 2, 3 min since (31% of 11)
NEW Okogie 16 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 22 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Metu back 11/04 after 2, 3 min since (27% of 12)
BACK Bol back 11/05 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 11)
NEW Okogie 16 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 23 min over the last 4
NEW Watanabe 13 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Metu missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 12)
OUT Bol missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 20 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/15 · 2 days' restOUT Booker missed 5 since 11/04, returns tonight: 26 min (71% of 36)
OUT Bol missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Metu back 11/04 after 2, 2 min since (20% of 12)
NEW Okogie 16 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Bol missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 26 min since (71% of 36)
BACK Metu back 11/12 after 2, 2 min since (17% of 12)
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 2 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 29 min since (79% of 36)
BACK Metu back 11/12 after 2, 2 min since (17% of 12)
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 3 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Metu missed 2 since 11/17, returns tonight: 6 min (47% of 12)
OUT Bol missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 33 min since (90% of 36)
NEW Bates-Diop 15 to 22 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/22 · back-to-backOUT Beal missed 4 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Watanabe missed 2 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Booker back 11/15 after 5, 33 min since (90% of 36)
BACK Metu back 11/12 after 2, 3 min since (27% of 12)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/15 · back-to-backOUT McLaughlin missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/18 · 2 days' restOUT McLaughlin missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/20 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
MIN availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 8 since 11/08, out tonight
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 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Beal at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Booker (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Towns at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-9 a night and Minnesota plus-3 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 106 a night to Phoenix's 113. Call it Minnesota 111, Phoenix 110, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/05 @ DET 120-106 — PHX notes
PHX won 120-106. PHX shot 50% (43 of 86) to DET's 49%, 8 of 21 from three, and went to the line 29 times to DET's 14 — 26 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 43-33 for them. Durant led with 41 (14 of 27, 1 of 3 from three, 12 of 12 at the line); Gordon added 21, Allen 14. The hinge was Q2, 30-22: a lead of 1 became 9, and the lead reached 21. Gordon was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
11/08 @ CHI 116-115 — PHX notes
PHX won 116-115 in 1 overtime. PHX shot 42% (38 of 90) to CHI's 44%, 19 of 48 from three. PHX turned it over 21 times to CHI's 14, and CHI turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 54-39 for them. Allen led with 26 (9 of 16, 8 of 13 from three); Durant added 25, Nurkić 20. The hinge was Q1, 36-28: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 18.
11/10 vs LAL 119-122 — PHX notes
PHX lost 119-122. PHX took 10 more shots (94 to 84), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to LAL's 50%, 15 of 37 from three, and got to the line 27 times to LAL's 34. Durant led with 38 (13 of 27, 4 of 6 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Beal added 24, Nurkić 14. Q1 was theirs, 34-25, but the other 3 periods went 97-85 against them. They led by as many as 14. Beal's -14 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 vs OKC 99-111 — PHX notes
PHX lost 99-111. PHX shot 39% (32 of 83) to OKC's 49%, 9 of 29 from three, and went to the line 31 times to OKC's 25 — 26 points from the stripe to their 21. PHX turned it over 17 times to OKC's 7, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 51-33 for them. Durant led with 28 (7 of 18, 3 of 5 from three, 11 of 11 at the line); Beal added 15, Eubanks 15. Q2 was theirs, 30-25, but the other 3 periods went 86-69 against them. Allen's -19 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/15 vs MIN 133-115 — PHX notes
PHX won 133-115. PHX shot 60% (51 of 85) to MIN's 46%, 17 of 31 from three, and got to the line 15 times to MIN's 28. Durant led with 31 (11 of 15, 7 of 7 at the line); Booker added 31, Gordon 15. The hinge was Q2, 41-25: a lead of 6 became 22, and the lead reached 28. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
11/17 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Markkanen at 24 and Clarkson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Kessler (3 straight), Hendricks (10 straight), Sensabaugh (10 straight). 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Beal at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 114 a night to Utah's 121 and the line, where Phoenix takes 25 free throws a game to Utah's 19. Call it Phoenix 116, Utah 115, Utah keeping it close.
11/19 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Clarkson at 27 and Markkanen at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Kessler (4 straight), Hendricks (11 straight), Sensabaugh (11 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 44 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 32 and Beal at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Beal (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 44 percent from three to Utah's 40. Call it Utah 119, Phoenix 118, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/21 vs POR — 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 124 a night and allowing 123, shooting 49 percent and 44 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 35 and Booker at 27 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Beal (3 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 116, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 17 free throws a game; Grant at 21 and Sharpe at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Simons (12 straight), Brogdon (5 straight), Henderson (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 44 percent from three to Portland's 31 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-0 a night and Portland minus-7. Call it Phoenix 119, Portland 108, Phoenix by 11.
11/22 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 120, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Booker at 27 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Beal (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 119, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Curry at 32 and Wiggins at 14 a game. Without Green (3 straight), Payton II (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 45 percent from three to Golden State's 37. Call it Phoenix 119, Golden State 115, Golden State keeping it close.
11/08 vs NOP 122-101 — MIN notes
MIN won 122-101. MIN shot 55% (45 of 82) to NOP's 39%, 15 of 37 from three. Edwards led with 26 (10 of 22, 2 of 8 from three); Towns added 23, Gobert 17. The hinge was Q2, 44-20: a lead of 4 became 28, and the lead reached 31. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
11/10 @ SAS 117-110 — MIN notes
MIN won 117-110. MIN shot 49% (43 of 87) to SAS's 47%, 10 of 27 from three, and went to the line 27 times to SAS's 19 — 21 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 51-38 for them. Towns led with 29 (11 of 21, 3 of 7 from three); Edwards added 28, Gobert 11. The hinge was Q3, 34-19: a lead of 2 became 17. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
11/12 @ GSW 116-110 — MIN notes
MIN won 116-110. MIN shot 52% (43 of 82) to GSW's 39%, 9 of 27 from three. Edwards led with 33 (11 of 27, 1 of 9 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Towns added 21, McDaniels 13. The hinge was Q3, 35-22: a lead of 3 became 16. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
11/14 @ GSW 104-101 — MIN notes
MIN won 104-101. MIN shot 44% (36 of 81) to GSW's 42%, 14 of 34 from three. Towns led with 33 (12 of 26, 5 of 12 from three); Edwards added 20, Conley 13. The hinge was Q4, 28-18: MIN came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 3. MIN trailed 54-59 at the half and won the second half 50-42. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
11/15 @ PHX 115-133 — MIN notes
MIN lost 115-133. MIN shot 46% (42 of 92) to PHX's 60%, 5 of 27 from three, and went to the line 28 times to PHX's 15 — 26 points from the stripe to their 14. Towns led with 25 (10 of 17, 0 of 4 from three); Conley added 14, Edwards 13. Q4 was theirs, 33-23, the deficit cut from 28 to 18, but the other 3 periods went 110-82 against them. Edwards's -29 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/18 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 22 a game. Without McCollum (6 straight), Nance Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Towns at 26 and Edwards at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and New Orleans minus-1 and the arc, New Orleans at 39 percent from three to Minnesota's 35. Call it Minnesota 114, New Orleans 111, New Orleans keeping it close.
11/20 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Towns at 27 and Edwards at 23 a game. One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 108, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Randle at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Grimes (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 43 percent from three to Minnesota's 35 and the glass, where New York has been plus-9 a night and Minnesota plus-1. Call it New York 112, Minnesota 111, Minnesota keeping it close.
11/22 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Towns at 26 and Edwards at 22 a game. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 27 free throws a game; Embiid at 31 and Maxey at 24 a game. Without Oubre Jr. (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 116, Philadelphia 113, Philadelphia keeping it close.
11/24 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Towns at 26 and Edwards at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Fox at 28 and Sabonis at 24 a game. Without Ellis (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 111 a night to Sacramento's 118. Call it Minnesota 116, Sacramento 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
LG L. Garza
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
SM S. Milton
TB T. Brown Jr.
PHXCM C. Metu
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
JG J. Goodwin
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KB K. Bates-Diop
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
YW Y. Watanabe
MIN/PHX 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
Booker scores 31 in return from injury, Suns roll past Timberwolves 133-115
PHOENIX -- — Someday soon, the Phoenix Suns hope that their three All-Stars will be on the floor at the same time.
Two All-Stars turned out to be plenty on Wednesday night.
Devin Booker scored 31 points in his return from a calf injury, Kevin Durant also scored 31 and the Suns cruised past the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-115.
The Timberwolves had their seven-game winning streak snapped.
Booker returned after missing five games with a strained right calf. It was expected to be the first game of the season that all three Suns stars — Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal — played together, but Beal was a late scratch with a sore back.
The combo of Booker and Durant provided plenty of production on Wednesday. Booker shot 12 of 22 from the field, adding five assists and four rebounds. Durant made 11 of 15 shots.
“It's always nice just playing,” Booker said. “I try to give my input from the bench, but it gets old after a while. I just want to get out there and compete with the team.”
Phoenix dominated the game for the majority of the night, taking a six-point lead after one quarter, a 22-point lead at halftime and a 28-point advantage into the final quarter. The Suns shot 60% from the field and 55% from 3-point range, burying what had been one of the NBA's best defenses over the season's first month.
Eric Gordon scored 15 for the Suns, Grayson Allen added 14 and Drew Eubanks had 13, including a dunk over Karl Anthony-Towns .
“I was expecting (Booker) to have a little wind in his lungs early on,” Durant said. “But he looked great. The pop was there, playing with pace. It’s good to have our point guard back.”
Anthony-Towns led the Timberwolves with 25 points on his 28th birthday. Mike Conley had 14 points while Anthony Edwards , Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels all scored 13.
Minnesota had a tough shooting night, particularly behind the 3-point arc, making just 5 of 27 (18.5%).
“It was certainly one of those nights — all credit to them,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “We could never really get them contained. They made a lot of shots, but they also had a lot of comfort. I don't think we were able to establish ourselves defensively.”
The Suns took a 76-54 halftime lead after shooting 63% from the field. Booker scored 18 points while Durant added 17.
The Timberwolves were playing one night after an emotional game against the Golden State Warriors . An altercation between Golden State's Klay Thompson and McDaniels escalated when Draymond Green grabbed Rudy Gobert around the neck and dragged him away.
Thompson, McDaniels and Green were all ejected. Green was given a five-game suspension by the NBA on Wednesday.
Conley said that wasn't an excuse for their mediocre performance on Wednesday.
“They played with much more force than we did, starting at the beginning,” Conley said. “We had a lot of mental lapses and it took us a little too long to get into the flow of the game.”