By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
This young Minnesota Timberwolves squad is for real, folks.
Not once, not twice, not thrice, but the Timberwolves took down the star-studded Phoenix Suns in four straight games, completing an impressive first-round sweeping victory to punch a ticket to the next round of the NBA Playoffs.
Seeking for a flawless finish, the Timberwolves silenced the Phoenix home court after outdueling them in Game 4 of their Western Conference matchup, 122-116, on April 29, 2024.
Minnesota trailed early in the game after the Suns played with more energy and physicality but just like their first three games, the Timberwolves always got the last laugh in the second half as their size, offensive rebounding, and second-chance points once again lifted them out of danger to complete the 4-0 sweep.
Anthony Edwards saved his best performance for Minnesota after leading his squad in the back-and-forth second-half showdown, turning it up in the final 24 minutes of the game after a dismal shooting in the first half.
Edwards shone in the bright lights after going berserk in the whole second half, draining clutch three-pointers while also attacking the rim with intensity that put the Timberwolves in control of the game in the last three minutes of action.
After an All-Star performance, Edwards delivered 40 points built from an efficient 13/23 shooting from the field to go alongside nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal.
It was Edwards who steered Minnesota in the final canto after the duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant unleashed another superb scoring performance.
With Karl Anthony-Towns in foul trouble and Rudy Gobert being contained in the paint, Edwards stepped up when his team needed him the most and single-handedly outscored the whole Phoenix team in the final five minutes of the elimination game.
Despite a foul-plagued game, Towns was still able to stay effective after chipping in 28 points, his most offense produced during the four-game series.
Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota’s two-way ex-factor, also capped off the win with an impressive performance after adding 18 markers, three rebounds, a steal, and a block.
On the other hand, Booker dropped 49 points for the Suns but his lights-out shooting was still not enough to help Phoenix grab a single win in the playoff series.
Durant was also terrific for the Suns after torching the Timberwolves with 33 points but they were the only Phoenix players who reached double digits in terms of scoring.
With the win, Minnesota became the first team in the league to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs as they await the winner between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
