Phoenix Suns thrash the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-98 – NBA Recap
Phoenix Suns engaged their bench for nearly half of the game and still managed to defeat Minnesota Timberwolves 108-98 at Target Center on Wednesday night. This was Timberwolves’ 12th straight loss and they now carry
the tag of league’s worst team.
Despite of having their stars Steve Nash and Grant Hill off the court in the second and fourth quarter completely, the Suns were never haunted by the opposition. Four Phoenix reserves landed double figure in the game, making the
most of the opportunity given to them. Marcin Gortat led the scoring with his double-double as he notched up 20 points and gathered 16 rebounds to put his team on the frontline.
Suns coach Alvin Gentry, who was determined to clinch the victory after two defeats and said after the game. "We desperately needed a win. We're trying to close out the year on a positive note. It's tough when you know you're not
going to be in the playoffs and you know it's coming to an end."
Wolves’ forward Michael Beasley had an impressive scoring night with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony Randolph also kept the score ticking with his 19 points however the Sun’s bench was firing on all cylinders and
kept the momentum in the favour of the visitors.
Beasley opened the scoring with a blistering jump shot but Phoenix took the charge aggressively and romped with 11-0 run to clinch an early advantage. The Wolves mounted a comeback though as Wesley Johnson came up with two successive
blows from downtown. Beasley scored 9 of his 24 points in the first period however the Suns did just enough to maintain a 26-23.
Gentry exposed his bench in the second quarter and they responded big time. Vince Carter, Hakim Warrick and Aaron Brooks carried the momentum for the Suns and amplified the lead to 56-46. The Timberwolves however restricted the
Suns reserves in the last minute before halftime and managed to cut down the deficit to 3 points as the game progressed into the second half.
The Wolves continued to fight back though and Luke Ridnour buried a blow from beyond the arc for Timberwolves to escalate a 64-64 tie midway through the third. However, landed 10 of his 20 points in the period and as the Suns entered
the final quarter with 82-77 advantage.
Johnson and Pekovic strived to retaliate for the Wolves in the fourth period, however the Suns reserves came in their way one again. Brook landed a sizzling 3-pointer late in the period and Webster scored the final bucket of the
night as Phoenix rolled onto a 108-98 victory.
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