The last time they met, the T’Wolves eliminated the Suns 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs. And Phoenix, ahead for a long time during the NBA Sundays challenge, has toyed with the idea of taking revenge several times. For the Suns, however, Devin Booker’s 44 points were not enough, because once again Minnesota’s victory was confirmed by Julius Randle’s 35-point triple at the siren
That Phoenixdevoid of both Bradley Beal what about Kevin Durantwhether in an emergency, this can already be understood from the announcement of the starting quintet, because i Suns they start with an unprecedented duo with difficult technical and tactical compatibility like the one formed by Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee in the frontcourt. The guests also send the rookie onto the pitch Ryan Dunn and, somewhat surprisingly, they start better also thanks to a Devin Booker immediately very inspired. They are the 17 points with 5/8 shooting of the guard of Phoenix to impact on 31-22 with whom Phoenix closes the 1° quarto. The defeatist attitude shown in the bad defeat against i Thunder it seems like a memory, and the coaching team Mike Budenholzer keep playing with aggressiveness in defense and to move the ball well, finding quality shots and also giving space to the other rookie Iso Ighodarocapable of keeping the energy level high on both sides of the pitch. Energy that on the other side has the face and hands of Donte DiVincenzoauthor of 4 triple in the first half of 2° quarto and protagonist of the prompt comeback of Minnesota. The hosts return to just one possession awayonly then Booker he starts doing more or less what he wants in attack and at half-time his scoreboard says 27 points and 5 assists and that of the match 64-54 per i Suns.
A balance that is only broken at the final siren
The trend of the match is repeated in 3° quartowhen Minnesota get back in the wake with 5 minutes to play thanks to Anthony Edwardsup until then almost absent for the T’Wolveswhich marks i 5 points from the mini-partial which reports Minnesota under 78-76. I 13 points in the quarter of the home team’s star they actually reopen the games, because the last half is in sight Phoenix he is still ahead, but alone 4 points. I Sunshowever, at the opening of 4° quarto they find two triples from the specialist Grayson Allen and they try to escape again 97-86. Al partial of 7-0 of the guests, then, yet another counter-partial follows 17-7 of the T’Wolves and then we return to the battle point to point. Defenses level up and scoring becomes more complicated for both teams, with Edwards on the one hand and Booker on the other hand, to make the enormous offensive talent available count. And what breaks the balance is the triple of Julius Randlewhich closes an evening from 35 points and 7 assists with the basket at the siren worth the victory 120-117 per Minnesota. A Phoenix they are not enough 44 points of a Booker but less lucid than usual in the final possessions.
How did the absence of key players affect the Timberwolves’ and Suns’ strategies and energy management throughout the game?
Guest 1: Well, certainly a thrilling game between the Timberwolves and the Suns last night! Despite Phoenix having a strong start in the first quarter, it seems like Minnesota was able to keep their composure and come back stronger in the second half. Can you talk a bit about how the teams managed to maintain their energy levels throughout the game, especially given some of the key players they were missing?
Guest 2: Absolutely, it was an exciting matchup! Both teams showed great resilience in maintaining their energy levels, but it’s clear that Minnesota’s improved performance in the second half was due in part to their star player Anthony Edwards stepping up when they needed him most. On the other hand, Phoenix continued to rely heavily on Devin Booker, who was able to keep up his production despite facing stiff competition. However, one might wonder if this strategy will be sustainable for them in the long run, given the lack of depth in their frontcourt. What do you think?
Guest 1: That’s a good point. It seems like Phoenix’s decision to start with the unconventional duo of Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee in the frontcourt might have been interesting from a technical and tactical standpoint, but it did appear to impact their stamina towards the end of the game. As for Minnesota, they seemed to suffer from inconsistency at times, particularly with their ball movement and transition defense. Do you think that these are areas they will need to focus on improving going forward?
Guest 2: Definitely. As for the Timberwolves, I think they need to work on being more consistent defensively, especially after giving up big leads in previous games. They cannot afford to let teams back into games late like they did last night. On the other hand, Phoenix needs to find ways to combat Minnesota’s improved defense without relying solely on Devin Booker. They need to get their supporting cast more involved and find ways to compensate for their lack of size on the inside.
Guest 1: Speaking of which, it was interesting to see how coach Budenholzer continued to emphasize aggression on both ends of the court, even when things seemed somewhat desperate for the Suns at times. Can you talk a bit about how this approach impacted their overall strategy and execution
