The Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns have both made some massive roster moves in recent seasons which have made them championship contenders. Only one team will advance past the first round, though, as the two will play each other in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. In this article, we will explain how you can watch that series.
Where is Timberwolves vs. Suns
The Timberwolves were primed to get the top seed in the Western Conferences, but some untimely losses at the end of the regular season meant Minnesota finished as a 3-seed. Still, Timberwolves fans have to be happy with the team's improvement this season, and they will have home-court advantage in the first round.
Minnesota will host Game 1 and Game 2, as well as Game 5 and Game 7, if the series extends that far. The Timberwolves' stadium is the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Suns play at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and they will host Games 3 and 4, as well as Game 6.
How to watch Timberwolves vs. Suns
Game 1: Suns @ Timberwolves: Saturday, April 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 2: Suns @ Timberwolves: Tuesday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET – TNT
Game 3: Timberwolves @ Suns: Friday, April 26 at 10:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 4: Timberwolves @ Suns: Sunday, April 28 at 9:30 p.m. ET – TNT
Game 5: Suns @ Timberwolves: Tuesday, April 30
Game 6: Timberwolves @ Suns: Thursday, May 2
Game 7: Suns @ Timberwolves: Saturday, May 4 – TNT
Timberwolves storylines
This series will be a battle of offense vs. defense. Minnesota has the best team efficiency rating on defense in the league, and that will be key for stopping Phoenix's big three. Rudy Gobert is on the way to winning his fourth Defensive Player of the Year Award and becoming only the second player with that honor (Ben Wallace, Dikembe Mutombo).
Gobert is far from the only elite defender on the team, though. While Gobert holds down the paint, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels wreak havoc on the perimeter. Gobert's defensive pairing in the frontcourt with Karl-Anthony Towns has even improved this year.
Towns missed much of last year with injury, and the two big men didn't fit together perfectly. That has changed this year, though, but unfortunately, injuries were again a problem for Towns. The former number-one overall pick missed 18 of the team's final 20 games. Luckily, he did return for the Timberwolves' final two games.
Towns only scored 11 and 10 points in each of those two games, though, concerning some fans that he isn't back to full health yet. Minnesota will need him if they are to get past the Suns. While Anthony Edwards has developed into one of the best players in the NBA in his own right, Phoenix has tons of potential with what is arguably the most talented big three in the league.
Suns storylines
That Suns big three consists of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. The trio struggled to gain chemistry at the start of the year, largely because Beal and Booker suffered through injuries that prevented the big three from playing much together in the first half of the season.
The team has been healthy as of recent, though, and the trio have flashed the potential that people thought would make them so scary. The team is an impressive 26-15 when all three stars share the court. Beal's numbers are down this season, but someone had to sacrifice for the betterment of the team. When it comes to scoring, that has been Beal, but he has been effective as a playmaker.
The team doesn't have a true point guard on the roster, but both Beal and Booker have stepped up when it comes to getting their teammates involved. Jusuf Nurkic, the team's starting center, has even thrived as a playmaker this season.
Booker and Durant have carried the scoring burden, as both averaged over 27 points per game this season. They also received a major boost from Grayson Allen. The Duke product improved drastically this year and was rewarded with a big extension because of it. Allen actually led the NBA in three-point percentage this season.
The Western Conference was stacked this year. The top 10 teams in the conference were all high-level teams worthy of a playoff spot, and we have already seen a talented team like the Golden State Warriors be eliminated from postseason contention.
The Suns looked like a Play-in Tournament team for much of the season, but the team picked things up recently. Now, The Timberwolves and Suns are set to take part in what will likely be a bloodbath of a first-round matchup. Both teams are capable of making a run deep into the postseason, but getting past the first round will not be easy.
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