SUMMARY
- The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated Devin Booker and the Suns in Game 3 to take a 3-0 lead.
- Booker breaks down what went wrong for the Suns and their current state of mind.
Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are all set to eliminate Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns from the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. As most fans should be aware, the Timberwolves and Suns matched up as the 3rd and 6th positioned teams for a much-awaited matchup. Although the Timberwolves held the better record heading into the playoffs, they had failed to defeat the Suns in the regular season.
All of that changed as soon as the postseason began. As of this moment, the Timberwolves hold a commanding 3-0 lead on the Suns and need just one more win in order to send Phoenix home and move on to the next round. Given the relative inexperience of the Timberwolves, this was an outcome that many did not see coming.
Anthony Edwards had a monster 36-point performance in Game 3 of Timberwolves vs Suns
Although Edwards is relatively inexperienced when compared to the majority of stars in the NBA, he has taken his play to the next level this season and continued the trend heading into the playoffs. Edwards scored 36 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists to help his team blowout the Suns in Game 3.
On the other hand, Devin Booker scored 23 points with 8 assists and 3 rebounds. After the game had concluded, Booker was questioned about the Suns’ mindset heading into a must-win Game 4. After all, no team in NBA history has ever successfully made a comeback after being down 0-3. Here is what Booker had to say on his team’s most recent loss.
Booker added, “Yeah, poor rotations. I just wanna focus on the defensive side of the ball. They put up 126 points and we’ve been tryna keep them around the 100 mark and work on our offense…They pressure everywhere and funnel you into Gobert. I’m the type to just focus on the next game you know, play by play possession by possession.”
When asked about the notion that no team has come back from being down 0-3, Booker displayed confidence and claimed that the idea of being the first team to do so is exciting. While this may sound optimistic for Suns’ fans, there is no denying that the team is facing a very dire situation.
The Timberwolves dominated the Devin Booker and the Suns on the boards and in the paint
Although the Phoenix Suns should be considered the more talented and experienced team when compared to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ant and his squad have dominated KD and the Suns for 3 games straight. The Timberwolves have size and are significantly more defense-oriented when compared to the Suns. They also attack the paint more frequently, using their size to their advantage.
The Timberwolves also scored 56 points in the paint to the Suns’ 36 points. If Phoenix is unable to keep Minnesota from tearing down numerous offensive rebounds, they have no real chance of winning Game 4 and extending this series.