Follow tonight's Wolves-Suns play-by-play here.
Star Tribune staff writer Chris Hine reports live before and after Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference quarterfinal series between the Timberwolves and Suns at Footprint Center. The Wolves enter tonight's game with a 3-0 series lead.
10:37pm: Devin Booker puts the Suns on his back and they lead by two after three.
The Wolves had their best third quarter all series against the Suns, but even when they led Phoenix after halftime, they still trailed 92-90 entering the fourth.
The Wolves appeared to be in trouble 55 seconds in when Rudy Gobert picked up his fourth foul defending Jusuf Nurkic. But with Gobert out, the Wolves finally got their first good offense of the night going, as Anthony Edwards led a quick 8-0 run with a pair of threes and an assist to Jaden McDaniels.
With Gobert out and Bradley Beal sitting on the bench with four fouls, Phoenix was able to capitalize on its ground attack.
But the Wolves had no answer for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who had 37 and 31 points, respectively, after three quarters. Booker was 15-for-16 at the free-throw line.
Edwards led the Wolves offensively with 15 in the quarter, including four threes.
Karl-Anthony Downs 26 and Edwards 24 for Wolves.
9:50 p.m.: Wolves' first half shooting is lackluster as Suns grab the lead
The Wolves' shooting woes continued in the second quarter, as they trailed the Suns 61-56 at the half.
They were 17-for-45 from the floor and 4-for-18 from three-point range leading to their deficit.
Karl-Anthony Towns was 3-for-3 from three-point range and 1-for-17 the rest of the way.
Anthony Edwards was 2-for-8 at the half in a back-and-forth half with neither team leading by much. Phoenix's five-point lead represented its largest lead of the half.
Kevin Durant had 20 points in 23 first-half minutes, while Devin Booker had 19 points, including a buzzer beater as time expired.
Downs led the Wolves with 15, while McDaniels had 11. The Wolves committed just five turnovers in the first half, but the Suns turned them into 12 points.
9:10 pm: Sun comes to play, one back lead
The Timberwolves got off to a cold shooting start in the first quarter, but fell behind 26-25 in the second quarter.
The Wolves shot 5-for-22 in the first quarter but benefited by going 14-for-15 from the free-throw line.
Rudy Gobert got into early foul trouble as he picked up two early fouls on the same possession, but the Wolves' defense held its own without him on the floor.
Anthony Edwards started the night 0-for-5.
Jaden McDaniels led the Wolves with eight points and Devin Booker had nine for Phoenix, six of which came at the foul line.
The Wolves shot just 1-of-9 from three-point range.
7:14 pm: The waiting is the hardest part
For Timberwolves coach Chris Finch, the hardest part is waiting for the playoff series.
Finch was asked before tonight's game how his team went about its business in practices and meetings between games, and he said it's been hard not to worry in such a lopsided series.
There were two days off between Games 1, 2 and 3, and only one day off between Games 3 and 4 for the first time in the series.
“It's been a slow series, we've had two days between each game,” he said. “When you're in these things, whether you're up or down, I think the hardest thing is just waiting. When you play a game, break it down and know what you want to do and what you need to do. .what you have to do, what you think they're going to do, how you want to counter it, and you want to make it happen.
The Wolves did not hold a formal practice Saturday or Sunday as they opted to rest ahead of Game 4. With a close out game, Finch wants his team not to react too strongly to the emotions of the game.
“It's the same thing we've been talking about since Game 1,” Finch said. “You've got to be level-headed. What's going to happen is, emotions are going to be high in the building. The opponent's emotions are going to be high. Emotions are going to be high from everybody. You've got to stay within the game, game plan, weather the storm and try not to lose yourself in a stupid game.”
6:37 pm: Grayson Allen will not play for Phoenix
Suns guard Grayson Allen has been the NBA's best three-point shooter this season, but an ankle injury suffered in Game 1 worsened in Game 2 and sidelined him for Game 3.
Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said pregame that Allen would not play tonight, leaving a hole in the Suns' lineup because their three-point shooting was lacking.
Royce O'Neal is expected to start in Allen's place, along with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Jusuf Nurkic.
The Wolves starters are Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.
5 p.m.: Finch is third in NBA Coach of the Year voting
Finch was a finalist for the NBA Coach of the Year Award, but ultimately didn't have a chance.
Mark Tagneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder was the runaway winner with 89 of the 99 first-place votes. In the 39-year-old Deignault's fourth season, the Thunder finished first in the West; OKC went from a 40-42 record to 57-25.
The Wolves went from 42-40 to 56-26 in the 54-year-old Finch's fourth season. That's the franchise's second-best regular season record, going 58-24 in 2003-24. The Timberwolves, after 35 seasons, have the worst winning percentage (.411) in NBA history.
Finch finished third in Coach of the Year voting. Deignault had 89 first-place votes, nine second-place votes and one-third of the votes for 473 points. Jamal Mosley (4-36-30-158) finished second, followed by Finch (1-23-31-105).
Other top votes went to Boston's Joe Mazzulla (2), New York's Tom Thibodeau (2) and Miami's Erik Spoelstra (1).
