Suns revert back to costly, game-changing tumble in loss to T-Wolves

PHOENIX — For those still holding onto optimism regarding the Phoenix Suns’ chances at becoming a contender this season, they continue to test your faith.

Phoenix lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-113 on Wednesday, unable to repeat a theme that worked in Monday’s win of a steady-enough level of basketball for most of the game while surviving the extreme lows.

Phoenix (24-22) played a strong first half full of engagement. While there were enough slip-ups defensively to allow Minnesota (26-21) to shoot 54%, the Suns themselves shot 59% to lead by four. You could get picky and say they should be up much more than that with that type of efficiency, but the scoreboard was an undeserving result.

The Suns were ahead in both second-chance points (5-4) and points off turnovers (8-5), while also taking four more shots and only sitting -2 at the foul line. Those are the numbers that have burned them time after time, offsetting tremendous shooting stretches. Nipping those in the bud in just one game alone is a huge progress point, the type of improvement they can actually build off and start to grow in other areas, like on defense.

The slippage on that end, however, persisted.

And the brainfarts bled into other areas, like three quick turnovers and two missed layups. Despite the Suns’ lead only getting cut into by two points five minutes into the third quarter, Minnesota’s quality of looks stirred up a real shift of momentum. The Los Angeles Clippers’ 20-6 run on Monday at this point was more deliberate, and Phoenix showed great poise in quickly punching back to grow its lead back to double digits.

Would that carry over to Wednesday as well when a similar response felt necessary?

It did not. A spurt that included another Suns missed layup, a turnover for a free runout, back-to-back missed open 3s, a missed technical free throw, a shot clock violation and blocked 3-pointer had Minnesota tie the game.

Another Suns turnover leading to a free Minnesota fastbreak was followed by a missed Suns corner 3 and Anthony Edwards and-1 drive to put the T-Wolves in the lead.

There were still over two minutes and a whole other quarter to go but the Suns’ control they had earned in the game was gone.

The snowballing continued, with the T-Wolves extending their advantage to 10 a few minutes into the final frame. They blew it open to a 16-point edge with 5:24 remaining, the nod for those eager to beat traffic to get moving.

Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer began multiple answers on the second half by crediting Minnesota’s defense.

On that subject and in a related note!

Minnesota entered the night winners in eight of its last 12 games, and like the Suns, the recent strong form had not come without its blemishes. After a win on Monday, T-Wolves head coach Chris Finch called out his team’s poor execution and focus in the second half. Point guard Mike Conley spoke on the Timberwolves’ inability to be consistent against shorthanded teams, and also on an overall lack of an identity.

The Suns will rarely go there with the media this year and didn’t on Wednesday against a Timberwolves team without two key rotation players.

“Minnesota was good on the defensive end of the court,” Budenholzer said. “We gotta be better.”

It speaks to Phoenix’s current form that it can’t even avoid serious tumbles against similar versions of itself.

In the second half, the Suns had 10 of their 16 turnovers and allowed 15 of their 20 points off those over those remaining two quarters.

While Phoenix is reaching a higher peak in quality of play the last couple of weeks, it remains unable to get out of its own way and find anything close to consistency over the majority of the game. Even worse, the lack of carryover throughout a game is often paired with segments of a game that will completely crater the team. With one game remaining in January, anxiety should be high that the Suns are either out of time or pushing limits to the extreme of what a team can be capable of from a growth standpoint over just two months.

That’s not changing no matter who they get at the trade deadline.

Devin Booker had nine of the Suns’ 18 turnovers, tying his career high. He had never eclipsed seven in the last four seasons. Booker was diagnosing Minnesota’s aggressive schemes well early by picking on Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert but the space and reads off that space were far worse in the second half.

Kevin Durant produced 33 points, two rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four blocks with zero turnovers in 40 minutes. He shot 13-for-19 while Booker was 11-of-19 in 41 minutes for 28 points with eight assists and Bradley Beal was 6-of-10 for 17 points with six assists and zero turnovers.

Minnesota matched that, perhaps the most concerning part of Wednesday’s defeat. Phoenix’s offense is often not high-powered enough to make up for the woes.

Anthony Edwards (33 points, 11-for-20), Julius Randle (28 points, 10-for-16) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23 points, 8-for-14) led the scoring charge for the Timberwolves. Edwards was nearly just as sloppy with the ball as Booker was, with seven turnovers and five assists to go alongside seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks in 40 minutes.

Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels was ejected late in the game after he responded to some chatter from Booker with a poke to his head.

I like to tell myself that Jaden McDaniels and Devin Booker’s displeasure toward each other stems from Jaden locking up Booker in the playoffs last year. pic.twitter.com/ikrINehhYk

— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) January 30, 2025

This followed Finch getting ejected for his second technical foul in the third quarter off an incredibly casual-looking conversation.

Chris Finch gets his second tech and gets ejected, Ant has to pull him away pic.twitter.com/U73BW4XZ6e

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) January 30, 2025

Durant played after he was listed as questionable for a left thumb injury, with the oddity of that being it down as an “injury” instead of something specific, which Phoenix will usually designate after a few days. He jammed his left hand on a shot contest midway through the fourth quarter of Monday’s win and was seen fiddling with it for a few minutes afterward. Durant played through it the rest of the way and didn’t appear bothered by it on Wednesday.

Ryan Dunn returned after a one-game absence due to a left ankle sprain. He only played nine minutes, which Budenholzer credited to the flow of the game and not injury. Royce O’Neale started and got 32 minutes.

The T-Wolves were not at full strength, missing Donte DiVincenzo (left toe sprain), Naz Reid (illness) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (right foot sprain). DiVincenzo is an interchangeable guard through several different Timberwolves lineups while Reid is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and is the type of backup big that would give the Suns fits.

The rookie Shannon hasn’t earned rotation minutes yet, but the NBA-ready wing will have to wait for another opportunity like Wednesday when he could have potentially received a look. Finch played third-year forward Josh Minott for a grand total of 12 seconds, immediately subbing him out in the second quarter after he allowed a backdoor cut.

That led to Finch playing sparsely-used rookie Jaylen Clark, who you might remember from the former Pac-12 as a lockdown defender at UCLA. Clark doubled his career minutes total on the night from 10 to 20. Add on rookie Rob Dillingham’s 15 minutes and Minnesota essentially only played eight guys, unless you want to count four Luka Garza minutes.

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