NBA – Thanks to a big start and carried by a Bradley Beal in “perfect” mode, the Suns dominated their subject, winning 125-106 on the floor of the Wolves who therefore find themselves third in the West and will have to challenge… Phoenix in the first round!
There was already a scent of playoffs in Minneapolis this Sunday, when Phoenix hosted a match with high stakes for both teams, between a potential first place in the West for the Wolves and a direct qualification. in the playoffs for the Suns. The latter were able to put out the perfect match to secure their qualification and send a message to Anthony Edwards’ teammates… whom they will meet in the first round.
The Wolves were picked up cold, facing the Suns who started the meeting with the knife between their teeth, and carried by an insane external skill (8/11 in the first quarter). The Beal-O’Neale-Allen trio got the ball rolling to accompany Devin Booker and Kevin Durant while Chris Finch’s men were already starting to get frustrated, between offensive fouls and protests against the referees (14-27).
For its part, Phoenix continued its demolition business with four new 3-point arrows to complete the first act, including three for Bradley Beal who did not hesitate to increase the gap, already at +22 after 12 minutes (22-44)! Jordan McLaughlin tried to revive the locals with two baskets and a free throw to start the second quarter. Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Naz Reid raised their level of intensity, but Phoenix held on, with role players still on hand to support the Booker-Durant duo.
Wolves on edge
Enough to strain the nerves of the Wolves a little more, between the double technique inflicted on Anthony Edwards and Bradley Beal then already the 18th loss of the ball (!) on a pass directly into touch from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Still at -20 after Grayson Allen’s 3-pointer (44-64), Minnesota still found a way to reduce the gap before the break thanks to a 9-0 launched by Mike Conley’s 3-pointer and fueled by Anthony Edwards’ 2+1 in transition, enough to completely restart the match at halftime (53-66).
Phoenix quickly rectified the situation after returning from the locker room by going 10-1 fueled by Devin Booker’s 2+1 and Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer (57-76). This time, it was Rudy Gobert who stood out to put his team back on track with 7 points in a row including alley-oop with the fault on a service from Mike Conley, before Karl-Anthony Towns replaced Minnesota at 10 lengths (71-81). Author of 15 points in the third quarter, Rudy Gobert maintained the suspense at the end of the period with “only” 11 points to come back (78-89).
The Suns finally found the resources to make a gap again, fatal this time, following a 10-0 marked by two new 3-point baskets from Bradley Beal, the second completely open in order to definitively plunge the Wolves’ head under the water with 7 minutes remaining (84-107). This time, the mass was said, and Minnesota was forced to accept its fate, beaten 125-106 against an opponent on a great day.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The thunderous start of the Suns. Phoenix arrived in Minneapolis in playoff mode, with the firm intention of making a success while counting on the Lakers’ victory over the Pelicans to reach the playoffs directly. This was done thanks to a big start which prevented the Wolves from getting on fire from the start, dominating in the intensity and of course the skill which allowed Frank Vogel’s men to score 44 points in 12 minutes with 8 3-point baskets which really hurt Minnesota. Rudy Gobert’s teammates never managed to recover against the Suns who played the perfect away match to secure the victory.
– La masterclass de Bradley Beal. The former Wizards fullback demonstrated once again to what extent his contribution could be a game-changer for Phoenix. In this match, he was more than an X factor alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, but rather the “punisher” hoped for by coach Vogel. Author of a big heat stroke in the first quarter to put his team on the right track, he remained at a good temperature throughout the match, until the coup de grace at the start of the fourth quarter to put definitely Minnesota out of harm’s way. Author of 36 points with a perfect 3-pointer (6/6) and 5 assists, he had one of his best games of the season at the right time.
– Minnesota lost gros. Along with the Pelicans, the Wolves are the big losers of the evening with this missed meeting at home against a Phoenix team who played their luck perfectly. The defeat in Denver had already dealt them a blow, and this final setback puts them back in third place even though they will have long monopolized the throne of the Western Conference. In addition to not benefiting from home advantage potentially until the finals, Chris Finch’s men will now have to deal with… Phoenix in the first round. Suns who won their three confrontations in the regular season and will leave without home advantage but with a certain psychological advantage.
Minnesota / 106 Tirs Rebonds Joueurs Min Tirs 3pts LF O D T Pd Fte Int Bp Ct +/- Pts Eval J. McDaniels 28 2/7 1/4 1/2 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 -11 6 -2 R. Gobert 32 7/9 0/0 7/9 3 4 7 1 3 2 1 1 -17 21 27 K. Towns 29 3/8 1/4 3/4 2 4 6 2 4 0 5 0 -18 10 7 M. Conley 27 5/7 4/5 3/3 1 3 4 2 1 1 3 2 -14 17 21 A. Edwards 35 3/7 0/2 7/8 1 5 6 4 3 1 5 1 -21 13 15 J. Minott 5 1/2 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 +5 2 2 L. Miller 5 1/3 0/1 0/0 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 +5 2 3 K. Anderson 18 2/5 0/0 0/0 0 1 1 4 2 1 1 0 -12 4 6 L. Garza 5 3/3 0/0 3/3 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 +5 9 12 N. Reid 20 4/8 2/5 0/0 0 4 4 1 4 1 4 0 -17 10 8 M. Morris 6 0/3 0/2 0/0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 +4 0 2 J. McLaughlin 8 2/2 0/0 1/2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 -3 5 3 N. Alexander-Walker 18 1/4 1/3 0/0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 -6 3 3 W. Moore Jr. 5 2/2 0/0 0/0 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 +5 4 5 36/70 9/26 25/31 12 24 36 22 20 7 24 5 106 112 Phoenix / 125 Tirs Rebonds Joueurs Min Tirs 3pts LF O D T Pd Fte Int Bp Ct +/- Pts Eval K. Durant 38 6/14 1/3 2/2 2 2 4 1 3 2 4 1 +30 15 11 J. Nurkic 20 3/4 0/1 0/0 2 3 5 8 4 5 1 1 +27 6 23 B. Beal 38 14/21 6/6 2/2 3 3 6 5 2 2 1 1 +19 36 42 G. Allen 33 8/11 3/3 1/1 1 5 6 1 1 2 0 0 +15 20 26 D. Booker 36 6/16 3/8 8/10 2 2 4 7 3 1 1 0 +20 23 22 R. O’Neale 23 1/4 1/3 1/2 0 2 2 3 3 0 1 0 +16 4 4 D. Eubanks 15 0/2 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 +1 0 -1 T. Young 9 2/2 0/0 1/1 1 0 1 0 4 0 2 0 -8 5 4 D. Roddy 4 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 J. Okogie 5 2/3 1/1 0/0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 -5 5 6 N. Little 5 2/3 0/1 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -5 4 3 B. Bol 8 2/3 0/1 0/0 1 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 -5 4 3 I. Thomas 5 1/3 1/2 0/0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 -5 3 2 S. Lee 5 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -5 0 0 47/86 16/29 15/18 13 19 32 28 24 13 12 3 125 147
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
2024-04-14 22:15:38
#Suns #beat #Wolves.. #find #playoffs #Basket #USA
