Game ID: 42300164
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns
Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 9:30 PM ET
Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 26 35 31 24 116MIN 25 31 34 32 122
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 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
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
MIN availability going into 5/06 · 1 day's restOUT McLaughlin missed 3 since 4/26, returns tonight: 3 min (30% of 11)
NEW McDaniels 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 29 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 5/10 · 3 days' restBACK McLaughlin back 5/06 after 3, 3 min since (30% of 11)
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 30 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 5/12 · 1 day's restBACK McLaughlin back 5/06 after 3, 6 min since (53% of 11)
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 29 min over the last 5
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.
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 93-105 — PHX notes
PHX lost 93-105. PHX shot 45% (35 of 78) to MIN's 45%, 8 of 22 from three, and got to the line 19 times to MIN's 30. PHX turned it over 19 times to MIN's 13, and MIN turned those into 11 steals. Booker led with 20 (6 of 13, 1 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Durant added 18, Gordon 15. Q2 was theirs, 30-26, turning a 3-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 79-63 against them. Booker's -24 in 42 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/26 vs MIN 109-126 — PHX notes
PHX lost 109-126. PHX shot 46% (35 of 76) to MIN's 49%, 11 of 28 from three. The glass went 28-50 against them. Beal led with 28 (10 of 19, 6 of 11 from three); Durant added 25, Booker 23. Q4 was theirs, 36-31, the deficit cut from 22 to 17, but the other 3 periods went 95-73 against them. O'Neale's -23 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/28 vs MIN 116-122 — PHX notes
PHX lost 116-122. PHX shot 51% (38 of 74) to MIN's 46%, 10 of 26 from three. The glass went 33-44 against them. Booker led with 49 (13 of 21, 3 of 5 from three, 20 of 21 at the line); Durant added 33. Q2 was theirs, 35-31, but the other 3 periods went 91-81 against them. Beal's -12 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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 105-93 — MIN notes
MIN won 105-93. MIN shot 45% (35 of 78) to PHX's 45%, 9 of 32 from three, and went to the line 30 times to PHX's 19 — 26 points from the stripe to their 15. MIN turned it over 13 times to PHX's 19. McDaniels led with 25 (10 of 17, 2 of 4 from three); Gobert added 18, Conley 18. The hinge was Q3, 28-20: MIN came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 7, and the lead reached 19. MIN trailed 50-51 at the half and won the second half 55-42. McDaniels was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
4/26 @ PHX 126-109 — MIN notes
MIN won 126-109. MIN shot 49% (43 of 87) to PHX's 46%, 13 of 34 from three. The glass went 50-28 for them. Edwards led with 36 (12 of 23, 1 of 5 from three, 11 of 11 at the line); Gobert added 19, Towns 18. The hinge was Q3, 36-20: a lead of 6 became 22. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/28 @ PHX 122-116 — MIN notes
MIN won 122-116. MIN shot 46% (41 of 89) to PHX's 51%, 15 of 36 from three. The glass went 44-33 for them. Edwards led with 40 (13 of 23, 7 of 13 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Towns added 28, McDaniels 18. The hinge was Q4, 32-24: MIN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 6. MIN trailed 56-61 at the half and won the second half 66-55. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
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.
5/06 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 28 and Porter Jr. at 23 a game. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 33 and Towns at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-13 a night and Denver plus-2 and the arc, Minnesota at 37 percent from three to Denver's 32. Call it Minnesota 110, Denver 108, Denver keeping it close.
5/10 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 99, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Towns at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 3 days' rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. 3 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 99 a night to Denver's 108 and the arc, Minnesota at 38 percent from three to Denver's 33. Call it Minnesota 112, Denver 104.
5/12 vs DEN — 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 110 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Edwards at 33 and Towns at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 105, shooting 45 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 111, Denver 105.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Beal
DB D. Booker
EG E. Gordon
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
RO R. O'Neale
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
MC M. Conley
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 outlast Suns to finish sweep. Minnesota coach Chris Finch leaves with knee injury
PHOENIX -- — Minnesota star Anthony Edwards noticed early in the third quarter that the Phoenix Suns switched up their defense, playing him one-on-one most of the time instead of using the double teams from the first half.
The budding superstar took that as a challenge.
“It was like — you've got to beat us,” Edwards said. “And I showed them.”
Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half, Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 and the Timberwolves pulled away late to beat the Suns 122-116 on Sunday night and sweep the first-round playoff series.
The franchise's first playoff series win in 20 years came after coach Chris Finch left the game late in the fourth after an inadvertent collision with Wolves guard Mike Conley . The team said he had a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.
Edwards finished 13 of 23 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. The 22-year-old threw down a powerful, one-handed jam to give Minnesota a 115-111 lead with 2:14 left.
“We've watched him grow, evolve as a leader, as a player, as a man,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “It's been fun.”
Phoenix would never recover.
The Wolves finished off the Suns despite Devin Booker’s 49 points on 13 of 21 shooting. He also made 20 of 21 free throws. Kevin Durant added 33, but the rest of the team struggled.
Assistant coach Micah Nori took over for Finch for the final 1:41 and the Wolves closed with relative ease.
“Everybody has their role, everybody has each other's back,” Nori said. “I know it sounds corny, but it's just next man up, even with the coaching staff.”
Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and the Wolves had a 44-33 rebounding advantage.
It was a tight fourth quarter and the Suns tied it at 107 on Royce O'Neale 's 3-pointer with 4:30 remaining. Edwards and Jaden McDaniels hit back-to-back corner 3s to put the Wolves up 113-109 with 3:20 left.
The Wolves now wait to see if they will face the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.
“Their whole team created a lot of problems for us,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “The role players, the stars. Anthony Edwards is a special, special talent. And their bigs played really well.”
Edwards hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the third and McDaniels followed with a powerful dunk, helping Minnesota turn a six-point deficit into a 68-66 lead. It was part of a big third for Edwards, who hit four 3-pointers and had 15 points.
Booker responded, scoring 18 points during the quarter and the Suns took a 92-90 lead into the fourth. It was a tough game for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal , who scored just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting before fouling out.
“They were executing late and we didn't,” Booker said.
The Suns threw various looks at the Wolves in the first half, using five perimeter players at various times to try to pull big men Gobert and Towns away from the basket.
Booker hit a fallaway jumper at the buzzer to give the Suns a 61-56 halftime lead. Durant led Phoenix with 20 points before the break, while Booker had 17. Towns had 15 for the Wolves.
Suns guard Grayson Allen missed his second straight game because of a sprained ankle suffered in Game 1 that he aggravated in Game 2. He averaged 13.5 points per game and led the NBA in 3-point percentage during the regular season.