The Phoenix Suns are well aware that reviving their offense is crucial to breaking out of their recent slump. However, knowing you need to score is one thing; actually executing it is another challenge altogether.
The Suns will aim to bounce back from their lowest-scoring game of the season when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Phoenix has lost two consecutive games and three of its last four, including a 99-83 road defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. The Suns struggled offensively, shooting just 29.3 percent (22 of 75) overall and 24.3 percent (9 of 37) from three-point range.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves will look to compound the Suns’ woes.
Minnesota returns home after a challenging road trip, which included two straight losses to the Portland Trail Blazers, followed by a 130-126 overtime victory against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with a team-high 36 points on 14-for-27 shooting in their latest win. Julius Randle contributed 26 points, and Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Timberwolves boast five players who average double digits in scoring.
Edwards leads the team with 28.4 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting from the field. Randle follows with 20.6 points, and Naz Reid adds 15.4 points in about 25 minutes off the bench. Gobert (10.8 points) and Jaden McDaniels (10.1) complete the top five scorers.
The Suns will be without their leading scorer, Kevin Durant, who is averaging 27.6 points but is sidelined with a calf injury. Veteran Bradley Beal, third on the team with 17.8 points, is also out due to a calf injury.
This places the scoring burden on Devin Booker, who is averaging 22.5 points on 42.3 percent shooting. Booker struggled against Oklahoma City on Friday, going scoreless in the first half and finishing with 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting.
This game marks Phoenix’s first visit to Minnesota since last season’s first-round playoff series between the teams. The Timberwolves swept the Suns 4-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals.
Minnesota secured home victories against Phoenix with margins of 120-95 and 105-93 to start the series. They then traveled to Phoenix, where they won 126-109 and 122-116 to advance to the conference semifinals.
