PHOENIX - In the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves' 116-98 victory over the Suns, forward Julius Randle made a hustle play to save a loose a ball from going out of bounds.
Moments later, Nickeil Alexander-Walker delivered a beautiful no-look pass to reward Randle with a layup. The Wolves bench erupted after that sequence.
They got even louder on the next play, when Jaden McDaniels stole the inbound pass and scored, prompting a Phoenix timeout. Anthony Edwards, back from his one-game suspension for receiving 16 technical fouls, looked like he was going to knock over McDaniels with how hard he embraced him.
There's nothing like playing the Suns to help the Wolves rediscover their mojo. They beat Phoenix for the seventh consecutive time between last season's playoffs and this regular season.
Edwards came alive in the second half and scored 44 points while DiVincenzo was on fire from three-point range with 24 points on eight threes. Randle returned for his first game since Jan. 30 and scored 20 points as the Wolves are getting healthier for the final 20 games of the season.
Edwards made the difference in the third quarter, as he scored 17 points and snapped the Wolves out of a cold shooting first half (39%). The Wolves defense forced 22 turnovers while Kevin Durant had 26 for Phoenix.
The Wolves started slow, as has been their tendency of late. They were 0-for-5 from three-point range to start the night and Phoenix opened up a 23-12 lead. The Wolves got some momentum in the first off three consecutive turnovers from Booker. He threw three bad post entry passes that the Wolves tipped or picked off. That led to a pair of threes from Donte DiVincenzo and a dunk from Edwards, and the Wolves cut the Phoenix lead to 23-22 on a 10-0 run.
Randle got off to a good start in his first quarter of action with 11 points and three rebounds in the first. The Suns led 34-28 after Tyus Jones hit a buzzer beater from 33 feet as time expired.
Both teams went cold in the second quarter, and the Wolves still trailed a game that was there for them to take. They shot 6-for-21 in the second. Nobody personified those shooting struggles more than, Reid, who began the night 0-for-7 and even missed a pair of free throws as he tried to work through a recent shooting slump. Reid finished the night 3-for-15.
"I think it's been more a matter of shot selection," coach Chris Finch said of Reid's struggles before the game. "When he's been missing shots, he's then trying to force some after that. When he just lets the game come to him - we want him to be aggressive, that's one of the best things about him. But sometimes I think he's just forcing it a bit too much."
The Suns shot just 4-for-19 in the second quarter but led 51-49 at the half. They also committed eight turnovers. Four of the nine Wolves who played in a the first half half didn't make a field goal. Randle, Edwards and DiVincenzo were the only Wolves players to score more than three points.
Edwards broke the Wolves out of their scoring doldrums in the third. He hit three threes in the opening minutes of the quarter and with those, he passed Malik Beasley in 2021-22 for the single-season team record for made threes. His third quarter was a masterclass. He got to the free throw line six times, he scored 17 points while his teammates also got involved. Jaden McDaniels had eight points after not scoring in the first half. DiVincenzo continued to hit from outside, and he was ip to seven threes and 21 points at the end of the third. He also had five steals and the Wolves were up 83-72 entering the fourth. They wouldn't relinquish the lead.
Rotation lengthening?
Randle's return meant the Wolves were almost fully healthy for the first time since January. The team is hopeful center Rudy Gobert (back spasms) will return this coming week. While the Wolves have been juggling the injuries of late, young players have emerged in the rotation and proven worthy of playing time. For the first few months of the season, Finch was married to an eight-man rotation that would occasionally include a ninth player for a few minutes. Finch said he was looking at including more players in the rotation moving forward.
"We definitely anticipate lengthening the rotation," Finch said. "We'd like to get to 10, for sure."
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