The Phoenix Suns entered the first-round series in the Western Conference playoffs as slight favorites to advance before they were pummeled by Minnesota in Game 1 on Saturday.
Now, the sky is falling and Phoenix appears to be heading toward a first-round exit. The Suns have been in this boat before. They dropped Game 1 to the Clippers in the first round last season before going on to bounce Los Angeles in five games.
“I’m not saying we’re going to win the next four games, but there was a lot of overreacting after we lost Game 1 to the Clippers,” Phoenix guard Devin Booker said. “It’s just a series, so understanding that, understanding every road team had a tough time in the playoffs so far this year (all eight road teams lost Game 1), and we’ll see how Game 2 goes.”
Booker said the series aspect is “the beauty of the playoffs.”
“You see the same team over and over. It’s adjustments versus adjustments. But at the end of the day, you just have to go out there and play,” Booker said. “It’s a roller coaster of emotions for everybody, the fans of each team. I always say you win one game, you’re going to sweep the team, and you lose one game, you’re going to get swept. That’s how everybody feels. That’s the beauty of our sport. That’s why we all love this time of year.”
Maintain the desperation
Minnesota played with a level of desperation Saturday that Timberwolves coach Chris Finch recognized from the basketball his team played over the first two months of the season.
It’s one thing to bring that mentality in Game 1 of the postseason when squaring off against a team that swept you in the regular season, but the challenge now is for Minnesota to bring it again, even with a series lead.
“Our approach has to be one of, like it was the other day, keep our edge, keep our desperation. We still have a ton to prove. We expect this to be a really long series,” Finch said. “That’s a great team over there with a bunch of good coaches who are going to make adjustments. So, we got to be ready for those. Human nature is obviously to relax a little bit and we’ve been preaching that you have to guard against it. I’m pretty sure they’ll be ready.”
Karl-Anthony Towns noted Minnesota’s discipline also has to match its level of desperation. That means continued close attention to details within the game plan and the ability to execute at a high level, even when Phoenix goes on a run.
Minnesota set a high bar for itself on Saturday. Is it attainable to continue to play at that level throughout a series?
“If we want to win, we have to. That’s the main thing. That’s all it is. It’s that easy. If we want to win, we maintain, no, we don’t even maintain — we bring more,” Anthony Edwards said. “If we want to lose, we come out and play how we played at the last game of the (regular) season. It’s just that simple.”
Injury updates
Phoenix listed Grayson Allen as questionable for Tuesday’s Game 2. Allen has a sprained ankle suffered in Saturday’s Game 1.
Suns coach Frank Vogel said Monday that Allen participated in practice but not to a full extent. Allen did some “light movement.”
“He’s been getting treatment nonstop,” Vogel said. “So hopefully the extra day between games should help.”
Allen didn’t make a shot from the field on Saturday, but he’s been perhaps the best 3-point shooter in the NBA this season. He averaged 19 points on 63% shooting from deep in three regular season bouts with Minnesota.
Kyle Anderson — who left Saturday’s game in the first half with a right hip pointer and did not return — practiced Monday, according to Finch.
Anderson, who’s also listed as questionable, looked comfortable while participating in post-practice shooting drills.
“But we’ll see,” Finch said. “See how it keeps responding.”
Either way, Minnesota is comfortable with its options. Monte Morris played well in Anderson’s stead on Saturday.
“We’re lucky to have 10 guys we feel could play rotations minutes. Who those guys are at any given moment may change, obviously injuries force some things the other night,” Finch said. “We leave it open as we do, but we know we got depth to be able to go either direction as we want to.”