SUMMARY
- The Phoenix Suns were just swept after losing 116-122 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- Kevin Durant responded to Devin Booker's recent comments after Suns' playoff failure.
The Phoenix Suns were just swept clean by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. Despite signing a big three including the likes of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns failed to break down the Timberwolves’ defense all series. They struggled to win a single game, and that speaks at length about the Wolves’ defense and the Suns’ lack of offensive chemistry.
Anthony Edwards 😤
40 PTS, 9 REB, 7 3PT, 6 AST & completed the sweep of the Suns. pic.twitter.com/4srJBZy4Wh
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 29, 2024
Anthony Edwards was the biggest nightmare for KD and the Suns. The young star put up yet another sensational performance, making 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in the series decider. He has been haunting Durant throughout the entire series, and his antics finally paid off now. Karl-Anthony Towns was also impressive for the team with a double-double, making 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite Devin Booker’s best efforts, where he scored 49 points, the Suns still lost 122-116. What makes the loss even more appalling is that the Arizona-based team lost at the Footprint Center, at their home.
Kevin Durant agrees with Devin Booker over the lack of communication in the Suns’ locker room
After the game, Durant addressed Booker’s comments. For some context, the young star said the lack of communication between them was one of the main reasons for the Suns’ failure to beat the Wolves. Durant spoke about this, “Everything could be better. I won’t go into specifics. That’s stuff we’ll talk about. I don’t want to be up here making excuses. We’ll deal with it and we’ll figure it out as a family moving forward.”
Booker specifically named himself, Durant, Bradley Beal, and head coach Frank Vogel. But that may not be looked at from a negative perspective. Booker mentioned that it should come from the top, so that the others can learn from the superstars that have experience in the league.
Durant breaks down what went wrong for the Suns
Anthony Edwards was not the only problem for the Suns. They failed to defend and attack as a unit, and that ultimately cost them the series as well. Durant said, “They hit more shots than us made more plays. They hit tough shots too gotta give them credit they played a great series….Yeah we could be better in all areas.”
“It’s hard to pinpoint just one thing right now. If you reflect back on the season we just were inconsistent with our play and the style of play that we wanted. I think guys will dig deep this summer work on what they need to work on individually. Its a great opportunity in the Summer time to focus on your individual game enjoy your time off but also realize come back and try to make some adjustments so we can not go through that again,” he added.
As Durant mentions, the Suns failed to build momentum during games, in the style of play that they wanted to display. The Wolves, on the other hand, were constantly determined to follow their game plan, without any game-time changes. Ultimately, the Wolves managed to play to their strengths even before the Suns managed to figure out theirs.