Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves Sweep 'Superteam' Suns

International News Regarding Minnesota Star – Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves Sweep ‘Superteam’ Suns And Kevin Durant

Minnesota star Anthony Edwards noticed early in the third quarter that the Phoenix Suns had switched up their defense, playing him one-on-one most of the time instead of the double teams used in the first half.

The aspiring superstar saw this as a challenge. “It was like — you’ve got to beat us,” Edwards explained. “And I showed them.”

Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half, Karl-Anthony Towns had 28, and the Timberwolves pulled away late to defeat the Suns 122-116 on Sunday night, sweeping the first-round playoff series.

Coach Chris Finch left the game late in the fourth after colliding with Wolves guard Mike Conley, giving the franchise its first playoff series win in 20 years. The team reported that he had a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.

Edwards shot 13 of 23 from the field, including 7 of 13 from three-point range. With 2:14 remaining, the 22-year-old threw down a powerful one-handed jam, giving Minnesota a 115-111 lead. “We’ve seen him grow and evolve as a leader, a player, and a man,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert stated. “It’s been fun.” Phoenix would never recover.

The Wolves defeated the Suns despite Devin Booker’s 49 points on 13 of 21 shooting. He also converted 20 of 21 free throws. Kevin Durant scored 33, but the rest of the team struggled.

Assistant coach Micah Nori took over for Finch in the final 1:41, and the Wolves cruised to victory.

“Everybody has their role, everybody has each other’s back,” she said. “I know it sounds corny, but it’s just next man up, even with the coaching staff.”

Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and the Wolves had a 44-33 rebounding advantage.

The fourth quarter was tight, and the Suns tied it at 107 on Royce O’Neale’s 3-pointer with 4:30 left. With 3:20 remaining, Edwards and Jaden McDaniels connected on back-to-back corner threes to put the Wolves ahead 113-109.

The Timberwolves are now waiting to see if they will face the Denver Nuggets or the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.

“Their whole team created a lot of problems for us,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “The role players and the stars. Anthony Edwards is a very special talent. “And their bigs played exceptionally well.”

Edwards hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the third, and McDaniels followed with a powerful dunk, helping Minnesota overcome a six-point deficit and take a 68-66 lead. Edwards had a big third quarter, hitting four three-pointers and scoring 15 points.

Booker responded by scoring 18 points in the quarter, giving the Suns a 92-90 lead entering the fourth. Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star, struggled throughout the game, scoring only nine points on 4-of-13 shooting before fouling out.

“They executed late, and we didn’t,” Booker explained. In the first half, the Suns tried a variety of looks at the Wolves, using five perimeter players at times to try to draw big men Gobert and Towns away from the basket.

Booker hit a fall away jumper at the buzzer, giving the Suns a 61-56 half-time lead. Durant led Phoenix with 20 points before half-time, while Booker had 17. Towns scored 15 for the Wolves.