It was a complete and dominant performance from the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. Minnesota got out to as much as a 27-point lead and easily won the game 120-95 behind Anthony Edwards' 33 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. He looked every bit the part of someone who could be the future face of the NBA, out-dueling both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to lead the Wolves to a 1-0 series lead.
While Phoenix held a five-point lead at one point, it was evident that the Suns' depth just couldn't match Minnesota's, who had five scorers reach double digits. The Suns are going to need more production from players around Durant to try and even this series up. Otherwise, they'll be heading back to Phoenix in a 2-0 hole.
As we prepare for the Timberwolves and Suns matchup, here's what you need to know ahead of Game 2.
Suns at Timberwolves Game 2
- Date: Tuesday, April 23 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Target Center -- Minneapolis
- TV channel: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
- Odds: Timberwolves -3; O/U 212
Storylines
Timberwolves: You couldn't come up with a better played game for the Timberwolves than how Game 1 went down. Edwards set the tone and knocked down big shots when the Suns were trying to claw their way back into the game, Rudy Gobert patrolled the paint. He created extra opportunities on offense with his aggressive rebounding, Karl-Anthony Towns was efficient and Jaden McDaniels proved his defensive acumen once again. It was pretty much a perfect game for Minnesota. But the challenge going forward will be how this team will respond when things don't go perfectly. We can't assume Nickeil Alexander-Walker will drop 18 points off the bench and that, as a team, the Wolves will shoot a ridiculous 50% from the floor. There will be some natural regression somewhere, and it will be up to the Wolves to figure out how to tread those waters.
Suns: Durant did everything in his power to try and keep the Suns in this game, but he couldn't get enough help from Booker, who shot an abysmal 31.3% from the floor. It'll be important to get Booker going in Game 2 early because we all know K.D. will get his points, but getting the Suns shooting guard into a rhythm early will help Phoenix get into an early hole. The status of Grayson Allen will also be something to watch, as he was listed as questionable in the morning injury report. Allen went 0-3 from the floor in 25 minutes of action in Game 1, and the Suns will need his 3-point shooting if they want to stand a chance in this game.
Prediction
I imagine the Suns will want to avenge their poor play from Game 1, so I'm going with an extra-motivated Durant, Booker and Beal to even up the series before it heads to Phoenix. The Pick: Suns +3
