The Timberwolves have been in complete control in this series, and while anything could happen, the Suns look in serious trouble getting swept in the first round. Of course, with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker you have to always assume Phoenix has a chance, even if their depth still remains a huge concern in this series.
"When they're scoring on us and we're not getting the right stops, we can't not be organized offensively," Suns coach Frank Vogel said. "We had too many possessions like that."
It's going to take a far better performance from the Suns in Game 3 if they have any shot at closing this gap against a Timberwolves team that looks incredibly dangerous in the West.
Here's what to know about Friday's Game 3:
Suns vs. Timberwolves -- Game 3
- Date: Friday, April 26 | Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Footprint Center -- Phoenix
- TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Suns -4.5; O/U 208
Storylines
Suns: Booker and Durant were efficient, Bradley Beal tacked on 14 points, and Eric Gordon had 15 points off the bench. It was the type of performance that would typically be good enough to win, but that wasn't the case here. At this point, the Suns are going to need Durant and Booker to turn in 30-point performances to lift this team to a win or tighten up defensively. The former is probably the better bet because, with the size and length the Wolves possess, it has been difficult for Phoenix to slow down Minnesota. Phoenix needs its stars to go supernova in Game 3, otherwise they could be one loss away from a sweep.
Timberwolves: When you've got your defensive stopper in Jaden McDaniels putting up 25 points, chances are things are going extremely well. McDaniels is tasked with checking Durant on one end, a tiring job, so the fact that he was able to put up 25 points on an extremely efficient 10 of 17 from the floor is truly impressive. It also shows that the Wolves can get production in a variety of ways. Karl-Anthony Towns shot the ball just seven times, but it didn't matter. It would nice to see Towns be a bit more productive on offense in Game 3, just to show that while he doesn't always need to put up 20+ points, he very well can when required.
Prediction
So far in the postseason, we've seen home teams win all but four games, so I'm going with the home team based on that. I also think Durant and Booker will be extra motivated to avoid a third-straight loss, especially in front of their fans. The Pick: Suns -4.5