Despite Rudy Gobert making two fouls after four minutes of play, a success at half-mast (5/22 on shots), and 17 points scored by the duo Kevin Durant – Devin Booker, the Wolves are only at -1 after the first quarter-time (26-25).
Faced with their lack of size, the Suns respond by being much more physical than in the first three games, but the Wolves still dominate in the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert compensate for their team’s clumsiness by dominating the offensive rebound, and it takes all the efforts of Kevin Durant to keep Phoenix in front (46-43).
A duel between the Booker/Durant and Edwards/Towns duos
A hard shot from Anthony Edwards in the first half briefly gave Minnesota the lead but the Suns finished strong. An 8-0, to which the Wolves respond, then a difficult buzzer beater from Devin Booker, however, gives them a five-point lead at the break, the biggest gap of the match (61-56).
While the foul problems continue for Rudy Gobert, with a fourth in the first minutes of the third quarter, Anthony Edwards puts the Wolves on his shoulders. In his wake, they passed an 8-0 to the Suns to take the advantage (76-73).
The duo Kevin Durant – Devin Booker, author of 29 of their team’s 31 points in the period, and the pair Anthony Edwards – Karl-Anthony Towns, author of 26 of the Wolves’ 34 points, engage in a constant duel! Two free throws from Booker give Phoenix a slim advantage (92-90).
Anthony Edwards’ big dunk that hurts
The crossover continues in the last quarter. Devin Booker passes the 40-point mark to give the Suns four steps ahead, but Edwards and Towns respond with a 10-2 to get back in front (107-103). Edwards and Jaden McDaniels (18 points) add two new award-winning shots but Royce O’Neale and Devin Booker resist.
This is the moment chosen by Bradley Beal, in great difficulty, to give the match to the Wolves. He loses his 5th and 6th balls in quick succession, and also commits his fifth and sixth fouls, allowing Anthony Edwards to authoritatively dunk Kevin Durant to give Minnesota a six-point lead with less than two minutes to play (119 -113).
The Wolves therefore finish the job and advance to the semi-finals of the Western Conference, for the first time since 2004, where they will face the winner of the series between the Nuggets and the Lakers. On the other hand, this “sweep” portends a chaotic summer for the Suns…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Devin Booker and Kevin Durant tried everything. 49 points on 13/21 shots, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds for Devin Booker; 33 points on 12/17 shots, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks for Kevin Durant. The two Phoenix stars gave everything to try to return the series to Minnesota but they were too lonely. None of their teammates exceeded the ten-point mark in a match where the referees called 53 fouls and gave 57 free throws! The summer promises to be eventful.
– Anthony Edwards took responsibility. Author of only 9 points on 2/8 shots in the first half, he flew through the second half to complete the Suns’ sweep. He woke up with 15 points in the third quarter to keep the Wolves in ambush, before adding 16 points in the last period on 6/7 shots to kill the match. However, it is necessary to highlight the 28 points and 10 rebounds of Karl-Anthony Towns, decisive in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but “Ant Man” was quite simply the best player on the floor during the entire series.
– The ordeal of Bradley Beal. Main defender on Anthony Edwards, poor Beal could do nothing to slow down the Wolves star, and also had a nightmare on the other side of the field. The rear ended the match with 9 points at 4/13 on shots while losing 6 balls and committing 6 fouls! His last two balls and his last two fouls came in less than 60 seconds, with less than three minutes to play, and allowed Minnesota to make a decisive difference.
– Chris Finch’s knee injury. In an ultra physical match, the only victim was Minnesota coach Chris Finch. With less than two minutes to play, a foul by Devin Booker on Mike Conley Jr sent the Wolves leader straight towards his coach, leaving the latter on the ground writhing in pain. Chris Finch, helped by two assistants, returned to the locker room before the end of the match. The Minnesota medical staff fears a rupture of the patellar tendon in the right knee for its coach…
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
