By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Fans in Phoenix expected a reaction by the Suns in Game 3 of the NBA first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves after going down 0 – 2 on the road.
That wasn’t the case at all though. What the crowd in Footprint Center witnessed was the Suns falling 109 – 126 to Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and the rest of the Timberwolves. Even before the end of the game, there was quite the booing in the arena.
“They expect so much out of us and they pay their hard-earned money, and they deserve to react how they want to react,” Kevin Durant said on the booing. “It’s on us as players to use it as fuel, and hopefully it ignites us for the next game.”
“Rightfully so,” Devin Booker commented on the booing that began to get particularly intense in the third quarter. That was when the Timberwolves overwhelmed the Suns 36 – 20 en route to a comfortable win.
Durant finished the game with 25 points on 8-18 shots, along with five assists while Booker had 25 points (8-15 from the field) and eight dimes. Bradley Beal scored 18 points (10-19 shots).
The problem for the Suns was mainly a defensive one. Once again, the team couldn’t halt Anthony Edwards (36 points, nine rebounds, five assists) while getting outrebounded 50 – 28.
Given the picture of the two teams in the series overall, a sweep seems like the most likely scenario.
“They say nobody’s ever done it before,” said Suns guard Devin Booker on the fact that no team has ever come back from down 0 – 3 to win a series. “That’s exciting.”