Who: Minnesota Timberwolves (10-5, 5-2 away) vs. Phoenix Suns (9-6, 6-2 home)
When: 7:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center – Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV & Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Starting this Friday night against the Timberwolves, the Suns have a murderers’ row of opponents in the next month of basketball. From now until Christmas, 11 of the next 12 scheduled games the Suns play are against teams with a winning record, and all 12 games are against teams in the Western Conference. The Suns have one win against an NBA team with a winning record so far this year, a demolition of the San Antonio Spurs. The combined win percentage of all teams the Suns have beaten this season is 30.5%.
To put it bluntly, the Suns have been beating up on cupcakes.
Which, on the bright side, has given the Suns the necessary runway to overcome Jalen Green missing all but 60 minutes of the season and establish their identity and culture for the future. Now that identity, culture, and positive vibes will be tested night after night for the next month, starting with the Timberwolves, who have been beating up on cupcakes themselves. The Timberwolves are 10-0 against teams with a losing record, and are 0-5 against teams with a winning record this season. As Frank Sinatra would sing, “Something’s Gotta Give” between the Suns and Timberwolves.
If the Suns can hold their own, they will continue to separate themselves even further from the doldrums at the bottom. Or, if they start piling up losses, then they may end up back in the dungeons of the Western Conference.
It all starts tonight, at home, against the Timberwolves.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Grayson Allen — OUT (Right Quad Contusion)
- Jalen Green — OUT (Right Hamstring Strain)
- Rasheer Fleming — OUT (Left Ankle Sprain)
Timberwolves
- Jaden McDaniels — QUESTIONABLE (Left Wrist Sprain)
- Joe Ingles — QUESTIONABLE (Right Hamstring Strain)
- Terrence Shannon Jr. — OUT (Left Foot Bruise)
What to Watch For
Both Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards have held the mantle this decade as the best shooting guard in the league, and when they face each other, it’s combustible. This season, both have been tasked to be the leading scorer, creator, and Mr. Do-it-all for their teams without another lead ball handler in the starting lineups. This game will come down to which superstar can score the most efficiently, and even more importantly, who will create the best opportunities for their teammates.
A matchup like this is why we love basketball: two of the game’s best players going head-to-head all night long. Make sure to grab some popcorn and strap on your seat belts because Booker vs Ant has produced some great games from both sides over the last few seasons. Although this game will be played indoors, there will be lots of fireworks in the Mortgage Matchup Center on Friday night because these two teams love to talk.
Two Keys to a Suns Win
Minnesota’s point guard problem
Minnesota is fourth in offensive rating this season at 118.7, despite having major questions at point guard this season. It appears that Father Time has caught up to Mike Conley, who lost his full-time starting spot early this season. Donte DiVincenzo is starting at point guard, while Conley, Rob Dillingham, and Bones Hyland share the bulk of the ball handling outside of Anthony Edwards. Phoenix is second in the NBA at 10.6 steals per contest and should cause havoc defensively and score some easy buckets against Minnesota in transition.
Can Phoenix expose Minnesota’s apparent weakness at the point guard position through their ball pressure and aggressive defense? If it can, and Phoenix takes care of the ball, Phoenix wins, period.
Rebounding
While the Suns are not the Houston Rockets, who grab 40.6% of their own misses (no. 1 in the NBA by a country mile), the Suns do grab 34.6% of their own missed shots, which is fifth in the NBA this season. Despite having the “Stifle Tower,” the Timberwolves are 19th in defensive rebounding percentage this season, at 68.1%. The Suns’ pursuit of offensive rebounds this season is one of the reasons this team is currently 9-6 and has held leads of 18+ points in nine of their last 10 games.
If the Suns out-rebound the Timberwolves, especially on the offensive glass, they will be in prime position to claim another win against an above .500 team.
Prediction
The Suns begin their Western Conference gauntlet with a win as they pull away late.
Suns 115, T’Wolves 105.
