By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Minnesota Timberwolves refused to fly to Arizona fresh from a loss and stunned the Phoenix Suns in Game 2, 105-93, to bag a commanding 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff matchup on April 24, 2024.
Unlike Game 1 where the Timberwolves dominated the pace and the tempo of the game midway through the third quarter, Game 2 was more of a chess match as their timely defensive adjustments contained the high-octane Phoenix offense in the second half.
After scoring 51 points in the first half, Minnesota’s tremendous help defense in the paint and isolation schemes against Kevin Durant and Devin Booker limited the Suns to just 20 points in the third, their lowest scoring output of their series so far.
It was a shaky start for the Timberwolves after being plagued by foul trouble. Karl Anthony-Towns, their superstar center, already picked up three early fouls and had to be sat out in the last five minutes of the second quarter.
Without the presence of Towns and Minnesota still searching for answers, the Suns’ offense suddenly came alive courtesy of a waxing-hot Booker who was draining shots from the perimeter and the three-point line.
Just when the Suns thought they could hold their ground against Minnesota, the Timberwolves’ different approach in defending Phoenix made a huge difference and steered them to a dominant second-half performance.
From trailing after the first half, Minnesota quickly snatched away the momentum to extend their lead to double digits at the start of the fourth frame.
The Suns tried their all to trim their deficit to just a single digit but after the Timberwolves maintained its sizable advantage with only three minutes left, Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel waved the white flag and sent in his bench mob.
Leading the charge for the Timberwolves was swingman Jaden McDaniels who top-scored his team with 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
The duo of Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert also steered Minnesota as they combined for 36 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
Despite an inefficient shooting performance from Anthony Edwards, the young star was still able to put up an all-around effort of 15 points, eight dimes, five rebounds, three steals, and a block.
Minnesota will take a much-needed rest before flying to Arizona for Game 3 of their Western Conference showdown series.
If Phoenix fails to protect its home-court advantage, the Suns will face a demoralizing 0-3 NBA playoff deficit against Minnesota.
