1st Quarter Report
The Suns are on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 31-22 lead against the Timberwolves.
The Suns came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Phoenix Suns @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Current Records: Phoenix 9-4, Minnesota 7-6
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Target Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: Arizona Family Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $25.00
What to Know
The Suns and the Timberwolves are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2022, but not for long. The Phoenix Suns are on the road again on Sunday to play the Minnesota Timberwolves at 3:30 p.m. ET at Target Center. The Suns are expected to lose this one by 7.5 points, so we’ll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.
The Suns are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 227.5, but even that wound up being too high. They took a 99-83 bruising from the Thunder on Friday. The game marked Phoenix’s lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Suns struggled to work together and finished the game with only 17 assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but the Timberwolves ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They managed a 130-126 win over the Kings. The success was a return to things as normal for Minnesota, who in their previous outing suffered a shocking 106-98 upset defeat to Portland.
The Timberwolves got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Anthony Edwards out in front who posted 36 points plus five rebounds.
Phoenix has been struggling recently as they’ve lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-4 record this season. As for Minnesota, they moved to 7-6 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s contest: The Suns have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 14.9 threes per game. However, it’s not like the Timberwolves struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 15.7. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Suns came up short against the Timberwolves when the teams last played back in April, falling 122-116. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Edwards, who shot 7-for-13 from beyond the arc and almost dropped a double-double on 40 points and nine rebounds. Back with a vengeance, will the Suns be able to stop him this time around? There’s only one way to find out.
Odds
Minnesota is a big 7.5-point favorite against Phoenix, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Timberwolves as a 7-point favorite.
The over/under is 219.5 points.
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Series History
Minnesota and Phoenix both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Apr 28, 2024 – Minnesota 122 vs. Phoenix 116
- Apr 26, 2024 – Minnesota 126 vs. Phoenix 109
- Apr 23, 2024 – Minnesota 105 vs. Phoenix 93
- Apr 20, 2024 – Minnesota 120 vs. Phoenix 95
- Apr 14, 2024 – Phoenix 125 vs. Minnesota 106
- Apr 05, 2024 – Phoenix 97 vs. Minnesota 87
- Nov 15, 2023 – Phoenix 133 vs. Minnesota 115
- Mar 29, 2023 – Phoenix 107 vs. Minnesota 100
- Jan 13, 2023 – Minnesota 121 vs. Phoenix 116
- Nov 09, 2022 – Phoenix 129 vs. Minnesota 117
