Minnesota’s Dominant Defense Heads to Phoenix for Game Three
Timberwolves vs Suns Betting, Matchup and More
Timberwolves vs Suns Betting odds are Suns -4, total at 208. After going up 2-0 in the series on Tuesday night, the Timberwolves are four-point underdogs on the road for Friday’s game in Phoenix.
In game one of this series, Minnesota threw a strong first punch, winning 120-95. They were fueled by a playoff career high-scoring night by Anthony Edwards (he tied the Timberwolves playoff record for points in a quarter with his 18 in the third), and a defensive clinic led by Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels.
Durant scored 31, but poor shooting nights from Devin Booker and the rest of the Suns supporting cast didn’t provide enough offense to keep up with Edwards’s big night.
Game two had a different feel to it. The Timberwolves still pulled off the victory, 105-93, but the game was a grind-it-out defensive masterclass from the Timberwolves, with the Suns unable to ever get much of an edge. The Suns simply could not get any offensive flow going, with Jaden McDaniels locking down the wings and Rudy Gobert patrolling the paint.
With the Timberwolves vs Suns betting odds out, let’s take a dive into the Western Conference NBA playoffs bracket and see where we can find some value and make some NBA predictions.
Phoenix Suns vs Minnesota Timberwolves 
Day/Time:
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix
Streaming: ESPN, Arizona’s Family 3TV / Arizona’s Family Sports, Bally Sports North Extra
McDaniels Arriving in Fashion
Had Jaden McDaniels just locked down Kevin Durant, it would have been enough. Had he hit a couple big threes, it would have been enough. Had he helped hold the Suns to only 93 points, it would have been enough.
Instead, McDaniels led the Timberwolves perimeter defense, holding the Suns big three to an abysmal 8-of-45 shooting from the field, while chipping in 25 points and eight rebounds of his own. He was incredible.
With the Suns defensive focus on stopping Anthony Edwards (15 points on 3-of-12 shooting), everyone on the Timberwolves needed to step up and chip in. Outside of McDaniels’s big game, five other Minnesota players scored in double-digits, including two 18-point games from the veteran pair Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert.
We could see the Suns sticking with this gameplan again on Friday; after all, holding the Timberwolves to only 105 points and Anthony Edwards to only 15 is part of the recipe for a win. We see Conley as the beneficiary of this strategy.
Conley, his steady play and pick-and-roll partnership with Gobert, will continue to thrive as Minnesota turns its attention to Edwards. Conley has gone over on his points/assists prop in five of his last six games, and is primed for another large offensive load on Friday.
Good morning Wolves fans! A little Jaden McDaniels appreciation post pic.twitter.com/3CT515eydb
— MNMuse (@statmusewolves) April 24, 2024
Who Can Step Up in Phoenix?
Someone on the Suns needs to step up. They have been manhandled by the Timberwolves defense, and if they don’t get their act together quickly, they will see their season end much earlier than anticipated. The Suns have yet to put together a game where at least two of their big three have good scoring nights and to have a chance on Friday, that is exactly what they will need.
Grayson Allen leaving game two with a bad-looking ankle sprain is hugely impactful for the Suns. They already lack the depth needed to withstand the Timberwolves swarming defense, and without Grayson to spread the floor, Minnesota can focus even more on Durant, Beal, and Booker. The Suns may be in a really tough position.
Defense Wins Championships
Timberwolves vs Suns betting could go either way in this game. Minnesota proved itself to be not just a regular season feel-good story in games one and two, but a series doesn’t start until the home team loses, and Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are bound to get things going in one of these games.
In the first two games, we were reminded why Minnesota spent the regular season at the top of the west standings NBA. Their elite defense is what gave them a high seed in the playoffs, and they’ve held the offensively loaded Suns to under 100 points in each of the first two games of this series.
We thought the Suns would win at least one on their home floor, and Friday may be their best shot. If Grayson Allen is expected to miss with an ankle injury, things could go downhill for the Suns quickly. The Timberwolves have shown the effort and execution to get this series done quickly.
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