The Timberwolves may have a matchup problem.
It was easy to dismiss a mid-November drubbing in Phoenix as the result of circumstance. That tip time was 23 hours after Minnesota downed Golden State in a game better known for the fight that took place two minutes into the contest.
Phoenix looked ready for the game, and Minnesota did not. Schedule loss is the term so flippantly thrown around the Association.
Surely, in other scenarios, Minnesota would have no problem dispatching a Phoenix team that simply hasn’t clicked all season.
Or maybe not.
Five months later, the result was the same. The Suns jumped all over Minnesota early and often Friday in Phoenix, handing the Wolves a 97-87 defeat.
The loss pushed Minnesota back into a tie with Denver in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. And while Minnesota still owns the tiebreaker, the lack of breathing room in the standings looms large with the Wolves and Nuggets set to square off Wednesday in Denver.
This game — and all the ones down the stretch — matter. The same is true for Phoenix, who’s scratching and clawing to secure a to-six seed and, thus, avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. So the stakes were high Friday. Neither team played the night prior.
The playing field was relatively level. Minnesota has won nine of its past 11 games and had seemingly found a nice groove, even sans the injured Karl-Anthony Towns.
But Phoenix scored the first 15 points Friday, and never really looked back. The Wolves never even pulled within single digits after that.
The Wolves turned the ball over a bevy of times, which led to a number of Suns’ buckets. Minnesota didn’t play poor defensively, but was seemingly flummoxed on the offensive end all night. Anthony Edwards again struggled from the field and, this time, there was no one else stepping up to pick up the slack.
The entire starting lineup had issues knocking down shots. Conversely, every Phoenix starter scored in double figures. Even on a night where Devin Booker struggled from the field, he had a double-double, serving as an offensive maestro with double-digit assists.
Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic notched a double-double early in the fourth frame and was a disruptor on defense.
Again, Minnesota had no answer for the Suns. The two teams will meet again in the regular season finale. There’s no telling if either team will have something at stake at that point. At this point, the Wolves should hope not, as they’re also probably hoping to not square off with Phoenix in Round 1 of the playoffs.
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