Game Recap: Suns fall apart in Minnesota, head to Phoenix down 0-2

The Phoenix Suns started the game better than expected after falling to an 8-0 deficit early. It did not last long. The Wolves closed the second half on a 6-0 run and did not look back after that.

The second half was filled with disappointment from a team that looked gassed and mentally weak. To make matters worse, Grayson Allen aggravated his ankle and would not return.

Devin Booker finished with 20 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 5 turnovers on 6-13 FG. Durant chipped in with 18 points on 15 shots, Beal had 14 points and 6 assists on 6-17 FG. Nurkic posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Gordon led the bench with 15 points.

Minnesota had a balanced attack with six players in double figures, including all five of their starters. Jaden McDaniels had one of the best games of his career, pouring in 25 points on 17 shots.

Phoenix finished with 19 turnovers, many of them careless and unforced. Outside of their 30-point 2nd quarter, they put together 36 minutes of disgusting basketball. They need to rebound quickly, starting with defending their home floor. Both games in Phoenix are in must-win territory.

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Game Flow

First Half

Phoenix got off to a horrid start, falling behind 8-0 leading to an early timeout from Frank Vogel at the 9:12 mark in the opening quarter.

A Grayson Allen triple finally got them on the board followed by a Nurkic layup to make it an 8-5 ballgame. Kevin Durant got in foul trouble early, picking up two personals in the first six minutes.

The Suns' offense was lacking early, but defensively they held their own in a slow-paced start. Phoenix started to get back into the game by attacking the rim and getting to the charity stripe.

The Suns trailed by three points after the 1st quarter, 24-21. Despite rough shooting and turnover issues, they were still in the game.

Phoenix took their first lead of the game after a 12-4 run with 10:30 left in the quarter. The Suns’ offense started to click as they extended their lead to five, 36-31, midway through the quarter.

Minnesota’s offense hit a stagnant point, struggling to generate clean looks, a credit to Phoenix’s defense.

Kevin Durant doing some Kevin Durant things.

The game got chippy with some physicality on both sides, with teams fighting for every inch of each possession. Playoff basketball the way it should be.

Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels hit some big shots to keep Minnesota right in the thick of it despite a rocky start from their usual suspects on the offensive side.

Phoenix took a 51-50 lead into the break after the Wolves closed the half on an 8-2 run.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Second Half

The Suns and Wolves went back and forth early in the third quarter. Booker and Beal drilled back-to-back threes to give the Suns a 63-60 lead.

A quick 10-0 run from Minnesota gave them a 70-63 advantage. Timeout Phoenix with 3:03 left in the quarter.

Phoenix’s offense went back to the stagnant disaster it was in game one. They mustered just 20 points in the 3rd quarter. Minnesota led 78-71 after three quarters.

The Suns were standing around going back to iso ball, pounding the ball with no purpose. Horrible offensive possessions accompanied by effortless defense snowballed into a suddenly sizable Minnesota lead.

Phoenix called a timeout down 93-76 with 7:51 remaining in the game. The Minnesota defense suffocated the Suns in the second half, holding them to just 42 points in 24 minutes of action.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

It was another night to forget for the Suns. Minnesota punched them in the mouth and they did not respond... again.

There wasn’t much to break down in the 4th quarter other than a lifeless, disappointing effort from the Suns.

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Up Next?

Suns vs. Wolves in the Footprint Center on Friday night. I’ll go on a limb here and say they need to win it to have a chance to survive.

They’ve got problems, let’s just hope home cooking can fix them.