Phoenix Suns get defensive, T-Wolves ideal playoff matchup: Takeaways from 3rd straight win

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch remembers two things about losing to the Phoenix Suns back in November at Footprint Center.

One, it was a long time ago.

Two, they gave up a season-high 133 points.

“They kicked our tails,” Finch said before Friday’s rematch. “We certainly haven't forgotten it."

The Suns refreshed their memory with a 97-87 win after racing out to a 15-0 advantage before a sellout crowd of 71,071 at Footprint Center. Phoenix (46-31) led by as many as 21 points and never trailed.

The T-Wolves (53-24) remain without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee), but the Suns have won their last three games battling through the second-toughest remaining NBA schedule.

Here are takeaways from Friday’s win as Grayson Allen returned to score a game-high 23 points after missing Wednesday’s win with left hip soreness while Kevin Durant went for 22 as all five Phoenix starters reached double figures.

Devin Booker delivered a game-high 13 assists to go with 13 points, three steals and seven turnovers.

The Suns continue their four-game homestand Sunday against New Orleans (45-32) as they look to take four straight games for the first time since January when going on a seven-game win streak.

Suns getting defensive at right time?

The Suns not only allowed a season-low in points, but they scored 24 points off 19 Minnesota turnovers.

The high number of points off turnovers is a bonus. It’s forcing those turnovers that’s key. The Suns also made it tough for T-Wolves All-Star Anthony Edwards to finish around the basket as he shot just 6-of-19 for 17 points.

Bradley Beal started the game on Edwards, but Durant also took on the challenge of guarding him. The Suns made him use extra dribbles to get into his shot, which is big because Edwards has become more efficient in terms of getting to his spots to score.

Clearly, one of Phoenix’s best defensive efforts as Minnesota shot just 38.8% from the field, but this is the continuation of a defensive trend. The Suns are allowing 99.6 points in this three-game win streak.

Jusuf Nurkic is no longer a liability on defense. He's grown in defending the paint and in drop coverage. Beal has led the perimeter defensive efforts, Durant has been the team's best defender and Booker, as of late, is competing more on that end. He's been saying communication on defense is the key to the team's success on that end.

That's been noticeable as of late, too, as is forming a tighter shell to discourage dribble penetration.

Suns' current playoff status in West

The Suns remain sixth in the West, which would automatically qualify them for a playoff spot and avoid the play-in. They’re a game behind Dallas for the fifth spot and a game ahead of New Orleans at seventh.

Phoenix has the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pelicans, but the Mavericks have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Suns. The Suns still have work to do and need some help to pass the Mavs.

Then again, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad) and Jalen Williams (ankle) remain out with injuries. They could be back by the Mavs-Thunder season finale, but neither team may be secure in their playoff position by then.

Dallas plays Sunday against Houston, Tuesday at Charlotte and Wednesday at Miami. That second of a back-to-back could be tricky for the Mavs, but the Suns need to keep winning regardless to give themselves a chance to move up.

T-Wolves ideal playoff matchup for Suns

Phoenix has proven it can beat Minnesota with offense and defense. The last matchup to end the regular season won’t really indicate much if both teams have their seedings locked up.

The Suns have the experience edge. While Jusuf Nurkic won’t score much against Rudy Gobert, he can get into his body and finish around the basket and keep him off the boards on the other end.

Nurkic finished with 15 boards with 13 on the defensive end Friday, while Gobert only managed two offensive rebounds, six total. Gobert is fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounds at nearly four a game.

Jaden McDaniels is a rising defender who had strong moments against Devin Booker, who managed just 13 points on 3-of-12 shooting after going for 92 total in his previous two games.

However, not so sure they have enough defensive guys to guard Booker, Durant and Beal as well as defend the three with Allen. Then with Gobert sinking in the paint, Nurkic has space to find teammate. Nurkic and Durant each had six assists.

Now Edwards is still a problem, a major one, but the Towns could be a even bigger problem for the Suns. He's a big who can knock down 3s, score inside and be a monster on the glass. However, Gobert resides in the paint, thus keeping Towns from attacking the offensive boards and taking full advantage of his postup game to score.

It'd be interesting if Finch put Towns at the five to up against Nurkic or Drew Eubanks. That move might force Suns coach Frank Vogel to go small and have Durant at the five against Towns.

Plus Towns may not be 100% when he returns. The hope is for him to be ready for the postseason.

If the playoffs started today, Phoenix would open at Oklahoma City, which may be the worst matchup for the Suns. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 35 points in the first two wins and the Thunder beat Phoenix by 25 without him in the third and final matchup.

On top of that, the Suns struggled to keep the ball in front in the three matchups.

However, the Thunder are just a game behind Minnesota at one and defending NBA champion Denver at two. So that top three could fall in any order, but Phoenix has had greater success against Denver and Minnesota than OKC.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns 15-0 start, getting defensive: Takeaways from win over T-Wolves