As important as Wednesday was for the Phoenix Suns, it had higher stakes for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix hosted Minnesota in what was set to be a competitive match from start to finish. Kevin Durant returned for his homecourt debut, giving Phoenix faithful a spectacle of a performance to look forward to.
Still, as the third quarter got underway, plans seemed to take a dive for the Suns.
Phoenix was able to take control in the latter portion of the third quarter, creating and extending a lead.
As a result, the Suns made it three wins in a row, beating the Timberwolves .
Third Quarter Turnaround
If viewers checked the score around the eight-minute mark of Wednesday’s matchup, the Suns seemed to be losing grip.
Durant hadn’t found his rhythm, and players such as Karl-Anthony Towns were having their way with Phoenix. Instead, the Suns went on a run late in the third quarter, spearheaded by Devin Booker and Cameron Payne. A 10-2 run saw the Suns have a decent lead for the first time in the game.
Booker was up to 24 points, five assists and three steals for the game. After going on a cold stretch, he’d found his rhythm once again.
Payne was up to 11 points, scoring seven in the third quarter to help turn the momentum.
As such, the Suns went into the fourth quarter with a 81-74 lead.
Durant Turns Around Slow Night
Durant had a tough time converting from floor for the better half of the game. He’d went 0-for-6 from the field to start, making a free throw to give him his first point of the game.
Playing in limited time while returning from an ankle injury was sure to give the future Hall of Famer a rough time. Still, his scoring didn’t come in bunches to help extend the Suns momentum.
He was able to finish the night with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Rough Night for Ayton
Foul trouble plagued Deandre Ayton for most of the game. After getting his fourth foul with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter, his services were becoming slim.
As such, Bismack Biyombo stepped in to deliver the high-level performances that he’d become accustomed to in Ayton’s absence. Biyombo finished the night with six points, eight rebounds and three blocks. His defense aided in shifting the intensity into high gear for the Suns.
On top of Ayton’s quiet night, Phoenix was having a difficult time in containing the opposing bigs in Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. Gobert finished the night with 15 rebounds while Towns put up 25 points to go with eight rebounds.
There’s only six games remaining for the Suns in the regular season. In that span, a lot can certainly shift in the Western Conference as teams vie for their rightful place.
