Wolves win franchise-first series sweep with Game 4 win over Phoenix

The Minnesota Timberwolves just concluded a series sweep over the Phoenix Suns to advance to the second round for only the second time in franchise history!

Final: Minnesota Timberwolves 122 Phoenix Suns 116

Stats:
Minnesota
Starters:
J. McDaniels 18 pts 6-12 FG 1-4 3PT 5-5 FT 3 REB 1 AST 1 BLK
R. Gobert 9 pts 3-9 FG 3-3 FT 5 REB 1 AST 1 STL 2 BLK
K. Towns 28 pts 11-17 FG 4-6 3PT 2-3 FT 10 REB 3 AST
M. Conley 10 pts 2-10 FG 2-6 3PT 4-5 FT 4 REB 7 AST 1 STL
A. Edwards 40 pts 13-23 FG 7-13 3PT 7-10 FT 9 REB 6 AST 1 STL 2 BLK
Bench:
K. Anderson 4 pts 2-5 FG 7 REB 2 AST
N. Reid 8 pts 2-4 FG 1-2 3PT 3-4 FT 3 REB 1 BLK
N. Alexander-Walker 5 pts 2-9 FG 0-5 3PT 1-1 FT 3 REB 4 AST 2 STL

Game Summary:
Minnesota didn't really start out very well in game 4. The Suns started off quite hot in the first half, finishing at a 50/50/90 line at halftime - an extreme rarity for the Minnesota defense. Fortunately for the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns had an efficient attack for the first half that kept them in the game and were only down 5 at halftime. 
The Wolves put together yet another great 3rd and 4th quarters. In the 3rd the team clawed back at the deficit and Anthony Edwards was a huge part of that. They were only down by a pair heading into the final frame. In the 4th quarter though, Ant became a superstar. He quite literally put the team on his back when they needed it most and propelled Minnesota forward. Early in the 4th, it was continuing to be a chess match - but under 6 minutes left in the game and the Wolves started to find their rhythm again on both sides of the ball. Ant was able to get some key shots up and despite foul trouble the team was able to play smothering defense yet again to grab the lead. Minnesota played fast and physical in crunch time and Phoenix let their guard down which led to a Wolves 6 point victory!
This is the first time in franchise history that the Wolves have swept a 7-game series and only their second time reaching the second round. This is also Minnesota's third series win ever. More broadly, this is the first time any major Minnesota pro sports team has swept a 7-game series!

Injury Report
Kyle Anderson remains on the injury report but played normal minutes last night.
Anthony Edwards appeared to suffer a minor ankle injury late in the win last night, there is no word yet on whether this will affect him going forward.
Head Coach Chris Finch was involved in a freak collision on the bench after Suns guard Devin Booker shoved Mike Conley into Finch standing on the sideline, causing a collision with the fans sitting courtside. Finch was taken off the floor and back to the locker room for evaluation. It sounds like coach has ruptured his patellar tendon and will need surgery. Fortunately for the team, since they swept the Suns they will have at least 5 days off before their next game so Finch does have time to address his injury. I would not expect coach will miss anymore time then necessary immediately following surgery. Hope coach gets better soon, we can't afford to lose him!

Up Next
With the Wolves advancing, we now await the result of the Nuggets-Lakers series that is currently heading to Game 5 with Denver leading 3-1. If the Nuggets win in Game 5, then the series will begin on Saturday. If the Lakers win Game 5 and force a Game 6, then the series will begin next Monday. Lookout for my series preview and Suns series recap sometime this week!

​#WolvesBack