Basketball

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns series: Preview, team news and our prediction

Just(ice) Voices

The first-round clash third vs sixth seed in the West Wolves vs Suns has the potential to become the most exciting series of round 1 of the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Timberwolves narrowly missed on the top spot in the Western Conference and they might pay a stiff price for that. 

The hottest team throughout April in the entire NBA were the Suns. They also humiliated Minnesota multiple times during the regular season. Can Anthony Edwards inspire his pack of wolves? Will the Suns stay hot? 

Here is our preview of the Wolves vs Suns series of the 2024 Western Conference NBA playoffs.  

Wolves vs Suns series – schedule of play

This could be a long series. The rest between the matches is plenty too, so any minor injuries will have time to heal. As the higher seed the Wolves hold a home-court advantage. This means that if the Wolves vs Suns series goes to game 7 Minnesota will be the place to be. 

Here is the full schedule for this series: 

  • Game 1: Suns vs. Timberwolves; Saturday, April 20 (in Minnesota) 
  • Game 2: Suns vs. Timberwolves; Tuesday, April 23 (in Minnesota)
  • Game 3: Timberwolves vs. Suns; Friday, April 26 (in Phoenix)
  • Game 4: Timberwolves vs. Suns; Sunday, April 28 (in Phoenix)
  • Game 5: Suns vs. Timberwolves; Tuesday, April 30 (in Minnesota)*
  • Game 6: Timberwolves vs. Suns; Thursday, May 2 (in Phoenix)*
  • Game 7: Suns vs. Timberwolves; Saturday, May 4 (in Minnesota)*

* = If necessary

Wolves vs Suns – regular season matchups 

The Wolves vs Suns clashes during the regular season were never a contest. The Suns owned this matchup and they won all three regular season matches vs Minnesota. Not only that but in all 3 games KD and Company led the entire second half by double digits. 

The Wolves finished the NBA regular season with the best defensive record but they struggled slowing down the Suns. Phoenix scored 125 and 133 points in two of their three wins vs the Wolves. 

Wolves vs Suns: Stats and storylines

The Wolves relied all season on their defence to secure wins. They had by far the best defensive rating of the regular season and will need more of the same come playoff time. 

Having Ruddy Gobert inside the paint helped the Wolves a lot against pretty much everyone but the Suns. One thing Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker love is to drain pull-up jumpers from mid-range. This explains why in the three regular season games against Minnesota the Suns averaged 123.7 points per 100 possessions. No other team in the West scored more against the Wolves this season. 

The Suns are on the rise right now. They had the best record in the NBA in April at 10-4. Their confidence is high and the health of their big three is also good at the minute. 

At the same time, Karl-Anthony Towns only just returned from an injury, missed 18 of the last 20 games, and he’s bound to be rusty in the first few matches of the Wolves vs Suns series. Also, come the playoffs the rotations shorten, the game slows down and this only benefits the Suns, who have one of the most imposing starting 5 in the league. 

Wolves vs Suns – injury reports

Minnesota Timberwolves injury report

G Jaylen Clark – out for the season

Phoenix Suns injury report

SG Eric Gordon – game-time decision

SG Damion Lee – game-time decision

Wolves vs Suns – the main matchups

The 2024 NBA playoffs won’t be any different than other post-seasons. The most decisive factor for a triumph is finding mismatches and favourable matchups. So, here’s what matchups we think will decide the fate of the Wolves vs Suns series. 

Reid – Durant matchup

Naz Reid will need to play well above average defensively against Kevin Durant in this series for the Wolves to stand any chance of winning. Reid is a talented defender and he will often be helped in double-teams by Jaden McDaniels. Still, after another another stellar year individually KD is ready to shine in the playoffs again and slowing him down might prove impossible. 

Edwards – Booker matchup

Anthony Edwards will be in attack mode throughout this series. However, he will also be dealing with Devin Booker defensively. Booker had historic scoring numbers in the playoffs last season. Numbers unseen since the great Michael Jordan was dominating the NBA. So, this matchup between the two most explosive scorers of the teams promises to be a battle to behold – superstar vs superstar. 

Wolves vs Suns – others to keep an eye on

Ruddy Gobert might be the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year but he struggles against the Suns. For the Wolves to stand any chance of winning this series Gobert will have to excel in the mismatches the Suns constantly create. Gobert will have to show the ability to defend the likes of Durant and Booker out of the painted area. 

Wolves vs Suns – our prediction

We end this Wolves vs Suns series preview with our prediction. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of these teams and what happened during the regular season we can’t see past the 6th-seed Suns to eliminate the 3rd-seed Timberwolves. 

We back the Suns to win 4-1 or even 4-0 if KAT is too rusty and can’t provide enough help to Edwards on the attacking end. 

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