Two disappointing squads match up when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
Minnesota has dropped six of its past eight games while falling to ninth place in the Western Conference. Phoenix has lost 10 of 13 games and is in 11th place, outside the final play-in berth.
The latest Timberwolves setback came against lowly Utah, as the Jazz got a late dunk from Walker Kessler to post a 117-116 victory in Salt Lake City.
Minnesota’s loss came with All-Star Anthony Edwards sitting out due to a one-game suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls this season.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch wasn’t in the mood to decipher whether the outcome would have been different if Edwards had been in uniform.
“It doesn’t do me any good to go through that thought process,” Finch said.
What’s easier to figure out is that the Timberwolves are nowhere near as potent as the team that won 56 games last season.
Minnesota will fall short of that output this season even if it wins its final 21 regular-season contests.
In fact, the Timberwolves were just 3 1/2 games ahead of the Suns entering play Saturday.
“It’s not panic button, but you look at the standings and you string four or five together and you climb four spots in the standings,” Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo said. “You lose four or five, you drop five slots in the standings. There has to be a higher sense of urgency, and we know that.”
Edwards averaged 28.5 points as the Timberwolves beat the Suns twice earlier this season.
Edwards was on a roll with 18 straight outings of 20 or more points before scoring just 17 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday and 18 versus the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Minnesota is hoping to see the hot version of Edwards against a Phoenix team that has allowed 100 or more points in 17 straight contests.
In fact, the Suns allowed 117 points or more in 12 consecutive games prior to Friday’s 125-108 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bol Bol scored 25 points — one off his career best — and Nick Richards added 19 points and 12 rebounds to fuel the victory.
Bol knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers in the easy triumph.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Bol said. “My teammates are helping me keep my confidence, and they tell me to shoot when I’m open and keep aggressive.”
Phoenix hasn’t fully adjusted to the methods of first-year coach Mike Budenholzer, and there was a recent report that said the club had a toxic locker room.
Just as that talk quieted down, a national report emerged that Budenholzer requested star guard Devin Booker to tone down his straight-forward comments.
Interestingly, after the Suns were easily handled 124-116 by the Pelicans on Thursday night, Booker was critical of the team and said it was time to draw a line and not continue with the get-them-next-time mentality.
Budenholzer said before Friday’s game that Booker’s latest comments didn’t bother him.
“He’s a very upfront, very honest; he’s a very real person,” Budenholzer told reporters. “He and I have very real conversations. Usually anything he’s said, whether it be in here or somewhere else, he’s probably said it to me 100 times, so communication and our team being together and our team being able to fight are all good messages.
“I’ve got all respect for Devin and his intellect, his understanding of what goes into winning, what’s important for winning. He’s a stud. He wants to win. He expects to win. And I think we should all be good that’s how he is.”
Booker is averaging 8.7 assists over the past seven games. He had 17 points on Friday after averaging 31 points over the previous four games.
Bradley Beal (left calf) has missed the last two games for the Suns, while Grayson Allen (left foot soreness) sat out Friday.
–Field Level Media
