The Phoenix Suns’ starters performed at their best on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with their season on the line.
It was insufficient.
Leading by their own All-Stars, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves won a tense Game 4 122-116 to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Suns in the NBA playoffs’ first round. They prevailed over Devin Booker and Kevin Durant’s combined 82 points to win the series on the Suns’ home court.
The Timberwolves haven’t won a postseason series since Kevin Garnett helped them go to the Western Conference finals in 2004.
The win was sealed by Minnesota minus head coach Chris Finch. After being thrown to the ground by a sideline collision with point guard Mike Conley in the last two minutes, Finch left the game early. Shams Charania of The Athletic stated during the game that he is thought to have had a torn patellar tendon.
Suns’ season comes to an abrupt end.
Minnesota becomes the first club to make it to the second round of the playoffs with the victory. For a Suns club built around Durant and Booker to contend for a title, the defeat is a crushing blow. Rather, its greatest weakness turned out to be the depth it gave up to assemble a squad loaded with stars.
The younger, more determined Timberwolves played like postseason veterans, while the Suns struggled to muster any production from anyone other than their top two players.
The Suns didn’t go out of the playoffs without a struggle. From the first tip, Sunday’s game was back-and-forth, with three lead exchanges in the fourth quarter. In comparison, the Timbewolves won each of the first three games by double digits.
Big Game Booker Not Enough
Edwards’s stunning play was answered by Booker with his own. He finished with six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a game-high 49 points. He made three of five long-range attempts and twenty of twenty free throws, including a transition three that gave the Suns a 99-95 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Durant finished 12-of-17 from the field with 33 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.
However, nobody else on the Suns scored more than ten points. Bradley Beal made 4 of 13 shots from the field and scored 9 points. Nine points, eight rebounds, and five assists were recorded by Jusuf Nurkić. There are a lot of unanswered concerns regarding the Suns’ roster makeup and ability to contend for a title going into the offseason.