NBA Playoffs: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns series preview

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns concluded their regular season schedules against one another, and will be right back in action as opponents in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

To get ready for the 3-6 matchup in the West, we’ll take a look at the Wolves-Suns series from several different angles. After that, we’ll take a stab at predicting which team will win the series, and in how many games. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Minnesota welcomed Karl-Anthony Towns back into the lineup a couple of games before the regular season ended. He played just under 30 minutes in each of those contests, which should lead fans to believe that he’ll be available for a full workload in the playoffs. The Timberwolves also feature Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert at center.

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Kevin Durant is the headliner of this group for the Suns, who is hoping that the second time is the charm for him with Phoenix in the postseason. To many fans’ surprise, small forward Grayson Allen became one of the best shooters in the league this season, as The Athletic and Yahoo Sports called out. Allen’s ability to stretch the floor will be relied upon against Minnesota.

It’s difficult to swing the pendulum in a direction that goes against Durant, but Minnesota will be difficult to score in the paint against. Additionally, the Timberwolves have Jaden McDaniels to potentially throw at Durant, which gives them another body to help impose their will defensively.

Yahoo Sports, Slam Online and others have talked about the leap Anthony Edwards has taken this season, and that ascension could continue during the NBA playoffs. Vanity Fair believes that he’ll be the next face of the league. Not to be forgotten is veteran point guard Mike Conley, whose influence has been crucial to Minnesota’s success this season.

Devin Booker and Bradley Beal remain two of the most potent scorers in the NBA. Their fit as a pairing has had its ups and downs, and they’ll face another significant test as the competition level gets ratcheted up another notch. It’s going to be fascinating to see how these two fare on offense and defense in this series.

Phoenix has the talent edge in this one, but it’s hard to deny that Edwards and Conley might be a more functional tandem at this point.

Finch has done a sensational job with the Timberwolves, catapulting them into the upper echelon of teams in the Western Conference. He’s also figured out the optimal way to deploy Towns and Gobert, and the unlocking of their potential has helped Minnesota become one of the scariest teams in the NBA. Zone Coverage talked about his creativity and adaptability.

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Vogel’s campaign with the Suns has been challenging, as he’s had to integrate many pieces on the fly throughout the year. Vogel was the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach back in 2020 when they won it all, and has shown that he can put teams in the best position to win before.

Vogel’s history gives him the slight nod in this one, but it will be fun to see whether he puts Finch in a difficult position in this series. Historically, teams have tried to pace and space against Gobert in the postseason, which might leave Finch with a tough choice to make.

The Minnesota Star Tribune believes that Naz Reid should win Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA this season. He’s been a luxury for the Timberwolves to have off the bench, and filled in admirably when Towns missed time with a knee injury. Monte Morris, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson also play notable reserve roles.

Phoenix has gone all-in as a star-laden team, leaving their bench quite thin. However, they were able to acquire Royce O’Neale from the Brooklyn Nets in the middle of the season, who has provided a nice boost. Arizona Sports believes that he “unlocked a new gear of the Suns’ small lineup.”

Reid’s presence alone arguably gives Minnesota the edge in this department, as Phoenix figures to have a tough time dealing with him when he enters the game.

Minnesota likely going to want to play big throughout the series, which is what they were accustomed to doing all season. It’s going to be interesting to see if Vogel opts to limit Jusuf Nurkic’s minutes at center in order to give the Wolves a different look. It might be tough for Phoenix to beat Minnesota at their own game otherwise.

The Suns have not looked formidable down the stretch, highlighted by a highly publicized drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9. They rebounded to win their last three games, but it seems like Minnesota’s roster seems to fit more seamlessly than Phoenix’s at this point and time.

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