Phoenix Suns v Minnesota Timberwolves Live Score and Stats – February 28, 2021 Gametracker

The Phoenix Suns were one of the hottest teams in the NBA last month.

Phoenix aim to take 14 wins in their last 17 games when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis on Sunday night.

All-stars Devin Booker and Chris Paul led the strong performance while third year big man Deandre Ayton quietly was a strong force in the interior.

Ayton faced Booker on Friday with 22 points as the Suns opened a three-game road trip with a 106-97 triumph over the Chicago Bulls.

It was Ayton’s first 20-point attempt since hitting a season high of 27 points in overtime against the Denver Nuggets on January 22, but he has produced 18 doubles that season.

Part of his solid play relies on being pushed, pushed, and encouraged by Paul.

“You saw his ability to protect smaller players,” said Suns coach Monty Williams. “Even when a man took a shot, it was a hard, hard shot. He was a force in the color. That’s a sign of growth – he’s learning a lot from Chris. All of which will make him a better player. ” and more experienced. “

Ayton has an average of 14.3 points and a team-leading rebound of 11.7 points. He is third in the ranking behind Booker (24.9) and Paul (16.6).

Booker has scored 20 points in 10 games in a row and in 15 of the last 16 games. His 9-of-24 shot against the Bulls was his third lowest percentage (37.5) of the season.

But he’s scored 30 or more points five times this month as the suns heated up. Phoenix had 120 points in five straight games and in seven out of eight games before missing that total against Chicago.

Bankers Frank Kaminsky (15 points) and Cameron Johnson (eight) also provided a boost.

“It’s such a luxury, but that’s what we expect,” said Paul of the bank’s contributions. “We talk about it all the time – we’re one of the few teams in the league that has a bench that comes in and they’re basically starters.

“That’s why we’re a team. We pick each other up every night and it’s great to be a part of it.”

Minnesota has lost the worst seven games in a row for the second time in a grim season. It has an NBA worst 7-27 record.

The Timberwolves completed a winless road trip on Saturday with four games, losing 128 to 112 to the Washington Wizards for their 13th setback in their last 15 games.

Minnesota allowed 74 points in the second half against the Wizards and has dropped a whopping 400 points – an average of 133.3 – in the first three games under coach Chris Finch, who replaced the sacked Ryan Saunders.

The Timberwolves led by four points in the third quarter before taking the lead 35-12 over a stretch of 7 1/2 minutes and falling back by 19.

“When teams run at you, you have to fight back,” said Finch. “We have to learn to be a little more resilient.”

Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds and Anthony Edwards added 21 for the Timberwolves.

Edwards, the top pick of the 2020 NBA draft, has scored 21 points in each of the last two games, scoring only 16 of 42 shots in the process. In the last six games he has only achieved 29.5 percent (28 of 95) of his field goal attempts.

“He needs to keep understanding what the game is giving him,” Finch said of Edwards. “Every time he went downhill and came to the edge, they really couldn’t stop him.

“He’s playing outside right now. He doesn’t have a plan to attack. That’s normal. Hopefully it will happen to him over the course of the season and certainly in the future.”

Saturday’s competition marked Minnesota’s first without a shooter Malik Beasley, who was banned from the NBA for 12 games for his guilty confession of threatening violence against a family last September. Beasley scores an average of 20.5 points per game.

Josh Okogie got on the grid and had 12 points on 5-of-7.

– Field level media

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