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Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns fell into an 0-2 hole in their first round NBA Playoffs series against the Minnesota Timberwolves after falling 105-93 on Tuesday night.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting, though he was 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Durant finished with just 18 points – and he and the team heard it from Kendrick Perkins and Skip Bayless.
Said Bayless, “The TWolves are making the Suns’ Big 3 look small … and old … and now overrated … maybe making Suns owner Matt Ishbia question what he’s paying all that money for. Yes, they need a true PG, but tonight they just looked lifeless on offense.”
Perkins also gave credit to Minnesota’s defense, saying “The Timberwolves are the only team in the West that can make Elite offensive Suns look average. You rarely get a good look against them they make a conscience effort to contest every shot!”
Perkins also said that he doesn’t want to hear anyone make excuses for Phoenix. “Everybody making excuses for the Suns offense right now and please don’t blame the Coach. The fact of the matter is these MF dogs on Minnesota made them tap out. Don’t mind me tho and Carry on…”
The Timberwolves outscored The Suns 55-42 in the second half to secure the victory.
Timberwolves roll as Jaden McDaniels clamps down Suns
The best player on the floor Tuesday night at Target Center was Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels, who scored a game-high 25 points and played terrific defense on Suns star Kevin Durant.
McDaniels went 10-for-17 from the floor, also notching eight rebounds and three assists. He was a spark of energy in a lackluster second quarter, scoring nine to snap the Timberwolves back to life.
Then in the fourth quarter, McDaniels scored consecutive buckets that got the sellout crowd on their feet and pushed Minnesota’s lead to 93-76 with 7 minutes, 51 seconds left in the game. And for good measure, his 3-point shot from the left corner gave the Timberwolves a 102-87 lead with 3:53 left.
It was a solid night for McDaniels on both sides of the floor. He got into a brief scuffle with Suns star Devin Booker while defending him. Both engaged in a pushing match that had security scurrying out onto the floor, just in case. After an official review, both were given fouls and McDaniels drew a technical foul as well.
The Suns are far from out of this series, but they’ll need to rally and take care of business on their home court.
The two teams have a couple of days off to regroup before they get back it for Game 3 in Phoenix on Friday night. Hopefully for Phoenix, the extra day off will give Grayson Allen time to recover after rolling his ankle in Game 2.
More must-reads:
- Mavericks' Luka Doncic gets payback, knocks out Clippers
- Doc Rivers, Giannis Antetokounmpo contradict each other on star's injury
- The 'Highest career PPG in the playoffs' quiz
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