The Phoenix Suns changed up their defense at the start of the third quarter, playing Minnesota superstar Anthony Edwards one-on-one for the majority of the period rather than with double teams like they had in the first half. That was seen by the rising star as a challenge.
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Edwards stated, “It was like, you’ve got to beat us.” “And I demonstrated to them.” Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 28 points, while Edwards achieved 31 out of his 40 points in the subsequent half. In the end, the Timberwolves overcame the Suns 122-116 on the evening of Sunday to win the first-round playoff championship.
The team has won a postseason series for the first time in twenty years. With seven of his thirteen 3-pointers, Edwards completed 13 of 23 from the field. With 2:14 remaining, the 22-year-old made a strong one-handed slam to put Minnesota ahead 115-111.
As an athlete, a leader, and a man, we’ve seen him develop and improve, said Rudy Gobert, a center with the Wolves. “It has been enjoyable.” Phoenix would never get well.
Despite Devin Booker’s 49 points on 13-of-21 shooting, the Wolves defeated the Suns. Also, he converted 20 of his 21 free throws. The other players on the team struggled, but Kevin Durant added 33.
Following an unintentional contact with Wolves guard Mike Conley late in the fourth quarter, coach Chris Finch exited the game, but Minnesota prevailed. The Wolves finished with remarkable ease as Micah Nori, the assistant coach, seized over for the last 1:41.
According to Nori, “everyone has each other’s backs, and each has their role.” “Even with the coaching staff, it’s just next man up, I know it sounds corny.” Jaden McDaniels of Minnesota scored eighteen points on six of twelve shots, and the Wolves enjoyed a 44-33 rebounding dominance.
In a close fourth quarter, Royce O’Neale’s 3-pointer with 4:30 left gave the Suns a 107-point lead. With 3:20 remaining, Edwards & Jaden McDaniels made back-to-back corner threes to give the Wolves a 113-109 lead.
The Wolves are currently awaiting word on who they will play in the second round—the Los Angeles Lakers or the Denver Nuggets.
“We had a lot of issues because of their entire team,” Suns head coach Frank Vogel stated. “The stars, the role players. Anthony Edwards is an exceptionally gifted person. And their big players had excellent play.
Early in the third, Edwards and McDaniels each made back-to-back 3-pointers, and McDaniels’ strong dunk increased Minnesota’s advantage from six points to 68.96. Edwards finished the third quarter with a game-high 15 points and four 3-pointers.
In response, Booker scored 18 points in the quarter, giving the Suns a 92-90 advantage heading into the fourth. Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star, had a difficult game as he only managed to score nine points on four of his thirteen shots before fouling out.
According to Booker, “We didn’t execute on time, and they were.” In an effort to distract the Wolves’ big men, Gobert and Towns, the Suns used five perimeter players in different combinations in the first half.
The Suns led 61–56 at the break thanks to a fallaway jumper made by Booker at the buzzer. Just 17 points separated Durant and Booker as Phoenix’s leaders at the half. Towns led the Wolves with fifteen.
Guard for the Suns Grayson Allen hurt his ankle in Game 1 and worsened it in Game 2, missing his second straight game. During the regular season, he led the NBA in 3-point % with an average of 13.5 points per game.
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