Phoenix Suns sail at Minneapolis; Thump Minnesota Timberwolves 114-90: NBA Recap
The Phoenix Suns cruised past the Minnesota Timberwolves here at the Target Center on Monday night, with a convincing 114-90 victory.
Rookie Markieff Morris scored a team high 21 points for the Suns coming off the bench and three Phoenix non-starters finished with double figure points to give the desert city franchise a definitive advantage over Minnesota.
Kevin Love again led the Timberwolves scoring with 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the process.
Phoenix came into this game having won 4 of their last 5 games. They have been on a phenomenal roll since the All Star Break, winning 15 of their 22 games since. They have thrust themselves back into playoff contention, and are
now only one game behind 8th place Denver Nuggets. Minnesota, on the other hand, entered the game having lost 5 in a row. This was their 6th straight loss and they are now out of playoff contention.
The first quarter was closely matched by both teams, each not letting the other build any streak. Phoenix led 21-18 at the end. They started building some momentum offensively in the 2nd quarter when a Morris jump shot
started a 7-0 run. The jump shot was followed by a 3 pointer from Sebastian Telfair and another jumper by Michael Redd to give Phoenix a 36-26 lead, their largest till that point in the game.
After an old fashioned shootout on the next four possessions, Phoenix again dominated with an 11-4 spurt to lead 53-39 with 1:35 left in the half.
Morris was big in the 2nd quarter, scoring 10 of his 21 points in that period. Minnesota then made the final 6 points of the quarter to finish the first half trailing 45-53.
The 3rd quarter belonged to Phoenix, who outscored Minnesota 30-23, after already carrying an 8 point lead to open the period.
Phoenix went on a 21-4 run which was started by a 3 pointer Channing Frye, and 4 minutes 22 seconds later, Shannon Brown sunk a 3 pointer to put the exclamation mark. The Suns took a formidable 77-55 lead with 4:40 left in the
period. They kept the lead and finished the quarter 83-68. Love scored the last 7 points of the quarter for the Wolves to cut the lead to 15 going into the 4th, after Phoenix led by as many as 22.
Phoenix continued their offensive charge in the 4th, where they started the quarter with 5 points from their first two possessions to bring the lead back up to 20. They increased that lead to 27 with 5:42 left in the
game when they went on a 7-0 run. Minnesota could not come back from such a huge deficit and Phoenix went on to win the match 114-90
Markieff Morris, Michael Redd and Sebastian Telfair came off the bench and combined to score 48 points shooting at 64.5% from the field. The Suns bench outscored the Wolves bench 66-27. Steve Nash had 14 points and 5 assists for
the Suns, going 60% from the field.
Kevin Love again was the main carrier of the Wolves offense, scoring 25 points and also grabbing 13 boards. J.J Barea added 16.
The Wolves played well offensively but their defense was poor, allowing Phoenix to score 114 points when they are averaging 97.68 points in away games for the season. The Suns shot 57.3% from the field and 81.2% from the foul line.
The Wolves, on the other end, were 38.6% from the field and 27.3% from the 3 point line.
Kevin Love was cold from beyond the arc, scoring only once in 6 attempts. The Wolves had only 17 assists, compared to an impressive 27 by the Suns. Phoenix however, turned the ball over 17 times, 3 more than the Wolves.
Minnesota were outplayed in the second half, after trailing by only 8 at half time.
“It’s disappointing, again. Just like the last time we played at home. We need to find a way to get energy and draw from each other. I just told them, 'How do you want to finish this season?' This wasn't good enough. They know
it, but you've got to go out there and do it." Said the Wolves coach Rick Adelman after the game.
The Suns are in fighting position for the last playoff spot and rest assured, will play with passion and motivation in their upcoming games. Steve Nash is now only 47 assists behind Oscar Robertson, who is 5th in the
NBA all-time list for the most number of assists.
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