After three defeats out of three in the regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves needed to provide answers to “exorcise” the bête noire Phoenix Suns. And those answers came loud and clear, playing an intense and focused game on both sides of the pitch for taking game 1 120-95 and thus taking a 1-0 lead in the series. After a balanced first quarter, the hosts took control of operations already in the second quarter, but it was in the third that they definitively split the game in two thanks to a strepitoso Anthony Edwards. Following a first half marked by three fouls committed, the Minnesota star takes center stage in the third quarter in which scores 18 of his final 33 points with some celestial baskets, even addressing fiery words to his opponents and in particular to Kevin Durant. Beyond his plays, however, all the T’Wolves play a high-level matchwith great defensive self-sacrifice also on the part of Karl-Anthony Towns (19 punti) e Nickeil Alexander-Walker (18 off the bench). The only negative note of the evening is the hip injury suffered by Kyle Andersonremained on the pitch for less than 5 minutes without returning from the locker room.
Phoenix crashes into Minnesota, Durant is saved
The T’Wolves defense led by a tarantolato Jaden McDaniels and from solidity of Rudy Gobert (12 points and 16 rebounds) manages to gradually shut down even an atomic attack like that of the Suns. Durant is “the Durant” scoring 31 points with 11/17 shootingma neither Bradley Beal nor Devin Booker ever really get into rhythmdespite both closing in double figures (15 for the first, 18 for the second) as well as Royce O’Neale, the only member of the bench to score for the visitors with 14 points before the final garbage time. There will be a lot to sort out for coach Frank Vogel in view of game 2given that the T’Wolves managed to win easily despite a 2/12 evening with Mike Conley’s shooting: it’s only game 1, but it’s clear how the T’Wolves have changed gear compared to what we saw in the regular season between these two teams.