On April 28, the Phoenix Suns were fighting for their playoff lives. They were down 0-3 to a great Minnesota Timberwolves team.
At this point, the future was looking bleak for the Suns to win this series. But, if they took a win that night, they’d still have hope. At the very least they’d have the pride of not getting swept. Unfortunately, that win didn’t happen.
By the end of the game, the Minnesota Timberwolves completed the sweep. But that doesn’t mean that the Suns gave up. They tried their best to win the series. It just was never enough. Here’s a brief rundown of what happened each game beginning from game two.
Game 2
On April 23, game two began and the Suns were in enemy territory once more. That fact seemed to give Minnesota energy.
In a flash, the Timberwolves scored eight straight with no answer from the Suns. If Phoenix didn’t recover soon, they’d be in for a long game. But the Suns eventually got it together.
By the end of the first quarter, the score went from 0-8 to 21-24. Phoenix was still down but the game was much more manageable.
Towards the end of the second quarter, the Suns even got out to a 51-46 lead. But it was later cutdown to 51-50 by halftime.
Judging by the first half alone, this game was going down to the wire. It seemed to be anybody’s game. That is until Minnesota took over the second half.
For most of the third quarter, the game remained close. But once the Timberwolves gained the edge, they began to attack the basket.
Those drives led them to get free throws, lay-ups, and dunks. In other words, more opportunities to get points.
By the end of the third quarter, Phoenix was down 71-78. Minnesota’s run began in the third but the fourth was where it got out of hand.
That quarter, the Suns defense couldn’t stop anyone. Players like Rudy Gobert, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, etc. all took advantage. Pretty soon, the Suns were down 76-93.
Phoenix tried to make runs to get back into the game but the defensive prowess of Rudy Gobert along with McDaniels’s scoring shut them down.
Eventually, the Suns had to concede, losing the game 93-105. In a 0-2 hole, the Suns would have to defend homecourt.
Game 3
On April 26, the Suns would face the Timberwolves at home. Unlike Minnesota, the Suns couldn’t gain momentum on homecourt early. In fact, the Suns were playing catch up once again.
Towards the middle of the first quarter, the Suns were down 8-17 and had to scramble to even up the score. They did but were still down 32-34 by the time the second quarter began.
That quarter, the score remained close. The Suns and Timberwolves constantly went at it. But the Suns ended up down 53-59 at halftime.
To win this game, the Suns would need to prevent any big runs from happening in the second half. Sadly, they couldn’t.
Minnesota looked like the home team in the third quarter. About halfway through, the Suns found themselves down 60-75. Again, they were playing catchup.
Alas, Minnesota’s momentum was too great. By the end of the third, the deficient ballooned to 73-95.
Within the fourth quarter, the big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal all tried to make it a game but it wasn’t enough. The Suns loss again 109-126.
The most demoralizing part about this and the previous loss were not only the 0-3 hole they were in but also the matchup issues they were having. Game two, they slowed down Anthony Edwards, but McDaniels stepped up. Game three, they couldn’t stop Edwards and he went off for 36 points.
Whatever was happening, it was a deep defensive issue. They would need to fix this issue in their desperation to keep this series alive.
Game 4
On April 28, the Suns would need to come out, again, with desperation. Being down 0-3, the Suns would need to play nearly perfectly.
Fortunately, throughout the first half, the Suns were finally showing heart against the Timberwolves. Thanks to the efforts of Suns players like Durant and Booker, the Suns would keep their slight lead. By halftime, the Suns led 61-56.
To finally win a game this series, the Suns would need to keep up this intensity for the second half. But, like good teams do, the Timberwolves adjusted. One of their main adjustments involved Anthony Edwards.
At halftime, Edwards had nine points and was passive. So, Minnesota decided to let him be more aggressive.
It was up to the Suns’ defense to stop him. However, that’s easier said than done.
By the end of the third quarter, in addition to Karl Anthony Towns’ 11, Anthony Edwards had 15 points in the third quarter alone. These performances put the Suns’ then 92-90 lead in jeopardy.
By the time the fourth quarter started, the Suns still couldn’t stop Edwards. The game was still a back-and-forth affair, but Edwards was consistently making tough shots.
Eventually, the Suns lost their edge and were down 107-110. Couple that Minnesota lead with Edwards hitting tough shots, and that was a recipe for disaster for Phoenix.
Ultimately, that came to fruition. Anthony Edwards ended the game with 40 points and the Suns lost again 122-116.
The Suns were swept despite the last efforts of Durant and Booker. This loss is not only embarrassing for the Phoenix Suns but also leaves many issues that need to be fixed during the offseason.
Offseason Questions
With this team not being enough to win a playoff series, the Phoenix Suns will need to look themselves in the mirror. When they traded for Bradley Beal, they were looking to be championship caliber team but lost in the first round.
They did experience bumps and bruises, but every team must push through those. Clearly something went wrong when constructing this roster and those issues will need to be addressed.
Essentially, the Suns’ front office will have a tough job this offseason. But hopefully, the Phoenix Suns will be back and better than ever the 2024-25 season.
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