Preview: Suns Face T-Wolves in Must-Win Game
The Suns must win tonight against the Timberwolves - there's no other way to put it.
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (0-2) are set to open a pair of home playoff games tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-0).
The Suns have notably dropped the first two games of the series behind a mix of self-inflicted flat performances and stout performances by Minnesota.
Fortunately, the Suns will likely be playing in front of a lively home crowd with a change to seize some level of momentum back.
Some bottom line information, previewing a key matchup, and predicting
Key Matchup Information
Spread: Phoenix -4.5 (SI Sportsbook)
ESPN BPI: Minnesota has a 53% chance to win
Injuries: Phoenix - Grayson Allen (ankle) questionable; Minnesota - Kyle Anderson (hip) questionable; Damion Lee remains out
Key Matchup: Jusuf Nurkic vs Rudy Gobert
Gobert has undoubtedly left his mark on the first two games of this series.
Now is the time for Nurkic to set the tone early on and dictate the physicality in a series that has been all Minnesota since virtually the opening tip of Game 1.
Nurkic did see a marked improvement on the glass in the succeeding game, grabbing 6 offensive boards and 14 total, but it ultimately wasn't enough to buck the trend of what the first several quarters showed us.
Game Prediction: Suns Win
This prediction is simply a gut feeling.
The Suns haven't shown anything that would make one feel confident about a potential Game 3 victory, but the home crowd combined with the shot-making talent on Phoenix and measured success in the regular season are enough to believe Phoenix can make it a 2-1 series going into Sunday.
Suns-Wolves is set to tip off shortly after 7:30 local time tonight and will be dually broadcast on ESPN and AZ Family.
