Follow tonight’s Wolves-Suns play-by-play here.
Star Tribune staff writer Chris Hine is in Phoenix to file live reports before, during and after Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference quarterfinal series between the Timberwolves and Suns at the Footprint Center. The Wolves had a 3-0 series lead heading into tonight’s game.
10:37 p.m.: Devin Booker puts the Suns on his back as they lead by two after three
The Wolves have had strong third quarters in all series against the Suns, but even though they cut into Phoenix’s lead after halftime, they still trailed 92-90 early in the fourth as the game s opened offensively for both teams.
The Wolves appeared to be in trouble 55 seconds into the third when Rudy Gobert picked up his fourth foul defending Jusuf Nurkic. But with Gobert out, the Wolves finally had their first good offense of the night, as Anthony Edwards led a quick 8-0 run with a pair of threes and an assist to Jaden McDaniels.
With Gobert out, Phoenix was able to take advantage on the offensive end of the court, even though Bradley Beal was sitting on the bench with four fouls.
But the Wolves had no answers for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who had 37 and 31 points, respectively, after three quarters. Booker is 15 of 16 from the free throw line.
Edwards got on track offensively for the Wolves with 15 points in the quarter, including four threes.
Karl-Anthony Towns has 26 and Edwards 24 for the Wolves.
9:50 p.m.: The Wolves’ shots in the first half are lukewarm and the Suns take the advantage
The Wolves’ shooting woes continued in the second quarter and they trailed the Suns 61-56 at halftime.
They finished just 17 of 45 from the field and 4 of 18 from three-point range, which led to their deficit.
Karl-Anthony Towns was 3 of 3 from three-point range, the rest of the team was 1 of 17.
Anthony Edwards was 2 of 8 at halftime, with neither team gaining much of a lead over the other throughout a back-and-forth half. Phoenix’s five-point lead represented its largest lead of the half.
Kevin Durant had 20 points in 23 first-half minutes while Devin Booker had 19, including a buzzer-beater as time expired.
Towns led the Wolves with 15 while McDaniels had 11. The Wolves committed just five turnovers in the first half, but the Suns turned them into 12 points.
9:10 p.m.: The Suns come to play, lead after a
The Timberwolves got off to a cold start in the first quarter, but only trailed 26-25 heading into the second quarter.
The Wolves shot 5 of 22 in the first quarter, but enjoyed 14 of 15 from the free throw line.
Rudy Gobert got into trouble early by committing two early fouls, both on the same possession, but the Wolves defense held strong without him on the floor.
Anthony Edwards started the night 0-for-5.
Jaden McDaniels led the Wolves with eight points while Devin Booker had nine for Phoenix, including six at the foul line.
The Wolves shot just 1 of 9 from three-point range.
7:14 p.m.: The waiting is the hardest part
For Timberwolves coach Chris Finch, the wait in a playoff series is indeed the hardest part.
Finch was asked before tonight’s game how his team had handled its business in practices and meetings between games, and he said it was hard not to be anxious in such a spaced-out series.
There were two days off between Games 1, 2 and 3 and only one day off between Games 3 and 4 for the first time in the series.
“It’s been a slow series, we’ve had two days between each game,” he said. “When you’re in these things, it doesn’t matter if you’re up or down, I think the hardest thing is just waiting. When you play a game and you break it down and kind of know what what you want to do and what you need to do, what you think they’re going to do and how you need to counter it, you want to put it into action The waiting for me is probably the hardest.
The Wolves did not hold a formal practice on Saturday or a penalty shootout on Sunday as they opted more for rest ahead of Game 4. With a final match in sight, Finch wants his team not to react too strongly to emotions Match.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been talking about since the first game,” Finch said. “You have to stay balanced. What’s going to happen, the emotion in the building will be high. The emotion of the opponent will be high. Everyone’s emotion will be high. You have to stay in the game, the plan match, weather the storm and try not to fight with stupid plays.”
6:37 p.m.: Grayson Allen will not play for Phoenix
Suns guard Grayson Allen has been the NBA’s best three-point shooter by percentage this season, but an ankle injury suffered in Game 1 worsened in Game 2 and sidelined him for the third match.
Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said before the game that Allen would not play tonight, leaving a hole in the Suns’ lineup because their three-point shooting was poor.
Royce O’Neale is expected to start in Allen’s place alongside Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Jusuf Nurkic.
The Wolves’ starters are Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.
5:00 p.m.: Finch third in NBA Coach of the Year voting
Finch was a finalist for the NBA Coach of the Year award, but ultimately he didn’t stand a chance.
Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder was the winner of the race, receiving 89 of the 99 first-place votes. The Thunder won first place in the West in the 39-year-old Daigneault’s fourth season. OKC went from a 40-42 record to 57-25.
The Wolves improved from 42-40 to 56-26 in the 54-year-old Finch’s fourth season. This is the franchise’s second-best regular season record, which was 58-24 in 2003-24. The Timberwolves, after 35 seasons, still have the worst winning percentage (.411) in NBA history.
Finch finished third in Coach of the Year voting. Daigneault received 89 first place votes, nine second place votes and one third for 473 points. Jamahl Mosley (4-36-30-158) was second, followed by Finch (1-23-31-105).
Other first-place votes went to Joe Mazzulla of Boston (2), Tom Thibodeau of New York (2) and Erik Spoelstra of Miami (1).
