McDaniels Shines as Timberwolves Dominate Suns: NBA Playoffs Game 2 Recap.
In the postseason matchup, Jaden McDaniels delivered an outstanding performance, notching a personal best of 25 points, propelling the Minnesota Timberwolves to a commanding 105-93 victory over the Phoenix Suns, securing a 2-0 lead in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Timberwolves’ defensive performance on Tuesday night was commendable..
Both Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert had 18 points each for the Wolves, providing enough firepower to counter Anthony Edwards’ struggles, who managed only 15 points on 3-for-12 shooting after allowing him 33 points in the opener.
Teams will head to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday night. In the franchise’s existence, Minnesota has only won a series 2-0 once, and that was in 2004 when they defeated Denver 4-1 in the opening round.
Karl-Anthony Towns, with his 12 points, said, ‘Everyone on the roster has shown they’re willing to sacrifice anything for the team’s betterment.
Devin Booker scored 20 points for the Suns, Kevin Durant added 18, and sixth man Eric Gordon chipped in with 15, failing once again to energize their high-octane offense.
Suns coach Frank Vogel remarked, ‘We can’t be aggressive in an organized way when they’re scoring on us and we’re not getting the right stops.’ ‘We had plenty of assets.’
Booker, Durant, and Bradley Beal, the three main scorers, combined for 45 points, leading the charge despite McDaniels’ presence due to foul trouble.
‘You can see it. You can feel it. I can see them. It is hard, Gobert remarked. ‘Going against the defense we’re playing right now, nobody likes it.’
After building an eight-point lead in the second quarter and heading into halftime with a slim 51-50 advantage, the Suns faltered, while the Towns-led Wolves surged ahead after an early stumble.
Phoenix lost guard Grayson Allen due to an ankle injury in the third quarter. As Minnesota’s dominance continued throughout the fourth quarter, the crowd erupted.. Conley found Gobert with a pick-and-roll bounce pass for an easy slam, making it 84-76, which the Wolves later extended to 19 points before a 3-pointer by the 17-year-old point guard in the corner electrified the arena.
‘4 on the board!’ echoed the final minutes.
‘The building has been amazing. The fans are unreal,’ coach Chris Finch said. ‘Our guys have tapped into their energy, and we’ve been locked in from the start.’
The Wolves capitalized on Edwards’ heavy dosage to deliver a blow in Game 1 on Saturday, and the Suns never hesitated to send multiple defenders in his direction.
With a 9 for 32 3-point shooting performance, the Timberwolves found it difficult to repay them.
Bench production, which heavily supported them in the opener, was slightly subdued this time around. Fouls were tight, causing Towns to sit out much of the first quarter after picking up three fouls, keeping him sidelined until midway through the second.
But McDaniels, Gobert, and others attacked the basket wisely, ensuring the Wolves could exploit their size advantage inside.
Booker, after elbowing McDaniels following a foul, received a technical, leading to a technical foul for technical dishonesty. But the 23-year-old fiery player, who missed the 2023 first-round series against Denver due to frustration-induced wall punching during the last regular-season game, didn’t let it define his night.
McDaniels said, ‘Everybody on the team does a great job of managing emotions and things like that.’ ‘It’s a physical game. Sometimes things happen.’
McDaniels, at his coaches’ continual urging, utilized his towering 6-foot-9 frame to snatch eight rebounds, breaking boards as well. Finch stressed that they were pushing McDaniels to do just that after “250 games” and having employees incorporate football-style practices into his character-building regimen during the week.
Yusuf Nurkic (10 points, 14 rebounds) helped negate some of Gobert’s award-winning and shot-changing defense. After establishing a franchise playoff record with a plus-24 rebounding margin against the Timberwolves, the Suns led 41-39, but progress beyond that proved elusive.
Booker said, ‘Don’t count us out.’ ‘This is a series for a reason.
Minneapolis – Jaden McDaniels scored a career-best 25 points in the playoffs, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a strong defensive performance against the Phoenix Suns with a 105-93 victory, taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. Tuesday night.
Both Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert had 18 points each for the Wolves, providing enough firepower to counter Anthony Edwards’ struggles, who managed only 15 points on 3-for-12 shooting after allowing him 33 points in the opener.
Teams will head to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday night.
In the franchise’s existence, Minnesota has only won a series 2-0 once, and that was in 2004 when they defeated Denver 4-1 in the opening round.
Karl-Anthony Towns, with his 12 points, said, ‘Everyone on the rosterhas shown they’re willing to sacrifice anything for the team’s betterment.’
Devin Booker scored 20 points for the Suns, Kevin Durant added 18, and sixth man Eric Gordon chipped in with 15, failing once again to energize their high-octane offense.
Suns coach Frank Vogel remarked, ‘We can’t be aggressive in an organized way when they’re scoring on us and we’re not getting the right stops.’ ‘We had plenty of assets.’
Booker, Durant, and Bradley Beal, the three main scorers, combined for 45 points, leading the charge despite McDaniels’ presence due to foul trouble.
‘You can see it. You can feel it. I can see them. It is hard, Gobert remarked. ‘Going against the defense we’re playing right now, nobody likes it.’
After building an eight-point lead in the second quarter and heading into halftime with a slim 51-50 advantage, the Suns faltered, while the Towns-led Wolves surged ahead after an early stumble.
Phoenix lost guard Grayson Allen due to an ankle injury in the third quarter. The audience roared as Minnesota’s momentum carried over into the fourth quarter.. Conley found Gobert with a pick-and-roll bounce pass for an easy slam, making it 84-76, which the Wolves later extended to 19 points before a 3-pointer by the 17-year-old point guard in the corner electrified the arena.
‘4 on the board!’ echoed the final minutes.
‘The building has been amazing. The fans are unreal,’ coach Chris Finch said. ‘Our guys have tapped into their energy, and we’ve been locked in from the start.’
The Wolves capitalized on Edwards’ heavy dosage to deliver a blow in Game 1 on Saturday, and the Suns never hesitated to send multiple defenders in his direction.