The Phoenix Suns (9-4) close out a four-game road trip this afternoon against the Minnesota Timberwolves (7-6) looking to snap a two-game losing skid.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix has really struggled without Kevin Durant (left calf strain) and Bradley Beal (left calf strain), getting blown out in its last two games, including a 99-83 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday. Durant and Beal will both be out again tonight, while Grayson Allen (missed last two games with right hamstring soreness) and Jusuf Nurkić (left ankle sprain) are probable.
The Timberwolves are completely healthy and last snapped a three-game losing streak with a 130-126 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings Friday, led by 36 points from Anthony Edwards.
Today’s matchup will be the first time the Suns and Timberwolves have played since Minnesota swept them in the first round of the playoffs in April. The Suns look a lot different now with so many players out, while the Timberwolves now have Julius Randle as a co-star next to Edwards after trading Karl Anthony-Towns for him this offseason.
Here are some keys to victory for the Suns to end their losing streak:
Get Devin Booker, Jusuf Nurkić going
Devin Booker had a season-low 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting in the loss to the Thunder, which included his first scoreless first half since 2019. Booker is now averaging 22.5 points on 42.3% shooting (34.0% 3-point shooting) and 6.6 assists across Phoenix’s 13 games this season.
Nurkić is averaging 2.3 points on 5.6% shooting (1-for-18), 0.0% from 3 (0-for-9), and 50.0% from the free-throw line (5-for-10) in his last three games, which have all been losses for the Suns.
Simply put, the Suns need Booker and Nurkić to play better. For Booker, this would mean capitalizing on the open looks he sets up with his playmaking so teams don’t double and triple team him every play, which would allow him to be more aggressive offensively.
Nurkić will be facing a tough test against Rudy Gobert, so if his shots aren’t falling again, he also needs to open the floor with his above-average playmaking and just make any easy shots he gets at the rim and not force anything.
Shoot better
This one is real basic, but very important given Phoenix’s last two games. The Suns will not win many games, if any at all, if they shoot the way they did the past two contests. In Wednesday’s loss to the Kings, Phoenix shot a season-low 36-for-97 (37.1%) as a team and 13-for-43 (30.2%) from 3. They followed this up with another season-low performance, going 22-for-75 (29.3%) from the floor and 9-for-37 (24.3%) from 3 against OKC. This was Phoenix’s second-worst shooting percentage in a game in franchise history.
The Suns’ 83 points against OKC tied the lowest any team has scored in a game in the NBA this year and this was the first time any team has shot under 31.5% in a game this season.
Phoenix simply has to find the mark on its shots without Beal and Durant.
Force turnovers, get out and run
The Timberwolves average 16.4 turnovers per game and concede 20.6 opponent points off turnovers. With the Suns running a defensive starting five of Josh Okogie or Royce O’Neale and Ryan Dunn alongside Tyus Jones, Booker and Nurkić, this should be a big focus this afternoon to try to generate some easy looks on the other end by forcing turnovers and getting out and running.
Before the Thunder game, the Suns had done a really good job having active hands, forcing 17 turnovers and tying a season high with 12 steals against Sacramento Wednesday and tying a season high with 11 blocks Tuesday against the Utah Jazz.
They will have to get back to creating havoc with their defense tonight against a team very susceptible to turning the ball over.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 1:30 p.m. MST
Location: Target Center
TV Channel: AZ Family/3TV
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live
Betting Odds (DraftKings)
Line: MIN -7.5
O/U:Â 219
Injury Report
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
