NBA Playoffs – West

Timberwolves Take 2-0 Lead Over Suns – The sun is setting in the desert. The Phoenix Suns came unglued in the second half and lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by 12, 105-93, in Game 2 of Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night.

The Timberwolves now have a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is in Phoenix on Friday.

The Suns had a tenuous three-point lead, 63-60, in the third quarter, but they could not hold on to it. Minnesota went on a 10-0 spurt in the third quarter to take the lead back and extend it to 70-63 with 3:30 left. The Timberwolves eventually outscored the Suns 28-20 in the third, and the score was 78-71 heading into the final frame.

The Timberwolves caught fire when it counted the most, in the fourth quarter, going on an 11-0 run for a 93-76 advantage, with just under eight minutes to go in the game and that was more than enough to extinguish the Suns.

Phoenix has fallen to 1-5 on the season when they do not eclipse the century mark.

Devin Booker collected his sixth foul and exited the game with 2:17 left in the fourth. He finished with 20 points on 6-13 shooting but was just 1-6 from 3-point range and had six turnovers to only five assists. Kevin Durant had a quiet night with 18 points, six rebounds and two assists, while Bradly Beal scored 14 points on 6-17 from the field with four rebounds and six dimes.

Sharp shooter Grayson Allen was helped off the court and headed to the locker room with 9:17 left in the third quarter after rolling his right ankle, the same one he sprained in Game 1. He did not return to action.

Minnesota’s stifling and oppressive defense once again swarmed the Suns’ big three, as Phoenix shot under 45% from the floor during the game and were 8-22 from three-point land. The Suns also had 20 turnovers, which led to 31 points for the Timberwolves.

Jaden McDaniels, usually known as a defensive specialist, was a problem and a half for the Suns on the offensive end, leading all scorers with 25 points on 10-17 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and three assists.

“When they’re scoring on us and we’re not getting the right stops, we can’t not be organized offensively,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “We had too many possessions like that.”

The Timberwolves came out ready to go and went on an 8-0 run in the first 2:48 of the game, thanks to three Suns turnovers. But the Suns fought their way back, even having a chance to take their first lead of the game with seven seconds left, but Beal missed a fast-break dunk.

Monte Morris made a bunny on the other end for a 24-21 Minnesota lead after the first quarter, where the Suns a shot dismal 7-20 from the field.

Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves’ second-leading scorer, was severely limited in the first half after getting in early foul trouble with three, with 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

“Everyone down the list has shown they’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to sacrifice whatever it is for betterment of the team,” said Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 12 points.

The Suns took their first lead at 26-24 after a Jusuf Nurkic lay-up with 10:40 left to play in the second quarter. Phoenix’s lead got up to eight in the second quarter, but Minnesota hung around thanks to 12 points from Mike Conley, and the Suns’ lead was just 51-50 at halftime.

Tempers flared and things got a little chippy when Booker shoved Jaden McDaniels, and he shoved him back with 4:15 left in the second quarter. Booker was hit with a common foul, while a technical foul was assessed to McDaniels.

And…

Mavericks Beat Clippers, Tie Series at 1 – After a nine-game layoff due to knee inflammation, Kawhi Leonard was available for Tuesday’s playoff game. Unfortunately, if you are a Los Angeles Clippers fan or player, so was Luka Doncic.

The Dallas Mavericks star led his team to a 96-93 victory over the Clippers in Leonard’s return from injury for Game 2, tying the first-round series at 1-1 as they head to Dallas. Doncic did a little bit of everything, finishing with 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

Game 3 is set for Friday at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Tuesday’s game was a defensive throwback to the 90s, until it counted in the fourth quarter, with the Clippers especially struggling to shoot with any sort of consistency. They finished the game 32-of-87 (36.8%) from the field, which was their lowest percentage of the season and 8-of-30 (26.7) from downtown, and the contest could have been even worse had they not had a solid game when it came to turnovers (eight) and crashing the offensive boards (14).

The Mavericks held a lead for the lion’s share of the game, but the Clippers made their presence known. They took a lead at one point in every quarter, but the Mavericks responded with a extended run at every moment.

Doncic delivered what sure seemed like the knockout punch with just over a minute left in the game.

The Clippers still had a little gas left in the tank though, cutting the Mavs’ lead to as little as three points with 20 seconds remaining. A nonconsequential buzzer-beating three by Paul George left the score a little closer than the game appeared.

Leonard came up small in his return by his lofty standards, posting 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals in 35 minutes. As mention previously, he had missed the last eight games of the regular season and Game 1 against the Mavericks on Sunday due to lingering knee inflammation.

Head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed his status to the media Tuesday evening.

“He’s checked every box, and the medical’s doing a great job just making sure he checks those boxes,” Lue said. “We’re never putting a guy on the floor that’s not ready to go, so he’s ready to go.”

Leonard was questionable for Game 1 until the Clippers ruled him out prior to tip. He participated in shootaround Tuesday morning, raising hopes in Los Angeles of his availability for Game 2. The Clippers made the call after pregame warm-ups.

The Clippers, of course, are better off with Leonard in the lineup. A six-time All-Star, seven-time All-Defensive team selection and five-time All-NBA selection, Leonard is one of the best two-way players in the league.

He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per game this season while shooting a blistering 52.5% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point land. Until his nagging knee issue, he had largely avoided the injury concerns that have plagued his career. He played in 68 regular-season games, his most since the 2016-17 campaign with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.