Behind 40 points from Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves knock Suns out of playoffs with 122-116 victory

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant have been here before – huge, must-win games for their teams – and both stood out. Booker scored 49 career playoff points, while Durant had 33 points and nine rebounds.

Anthony Edwards had never been in these moments before – he had been to the playoffs a few times but had never won a series – but he joined the game’s biggest names, scoring 31 second-half points on his way to 40 for the game, complete with a dunk monstrous.

Anthony Edwards also got a lot more help from his teammates.

The result was a 122-116 Minnesota victory, giving them a 4-0 victory over Phoenix. The Timberwolves advance to the next round to face the winner of the Lakers-Nuggets series (Denver leads 3-1 and can close at home on Monday).

This is the first time the Timberwolves have advanced to the playoffs in 20 years – their last playoff series victory was in 2004, when Kevin Garnett was the team’s star.

Or think of it this way: The last time Minnesota won a playoff series, Edwards was two years old.

The only dark cloud over the Timberwolves’ victory came in the fourth quarter, when Mike Conley collided with coach Chris Finch, seriously injuring the coach’s knee. Finch had to be helped off the court to the locker room and has a torn right patellar tendon, the team confirmed.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been up and down this postseason, had one of his best games of the postseason and finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels scored 18.

However, the quality of the Timberwolves’ top-ranked defense was the difference in this series. As a visual example, notice the quick rotations and athletic defense on this play.

Phoenix struggled to get easy buckets all series. While Booker and Durant stood out on Sunday night, no other Suns player scored in double figures. That includes Bradley Beal, who fouled out scoring nine points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Suns’ lack of depth outside of their stars was an issue all season and became something they couldn’t overcome in the playoffs.

Phoenix now enters the postseason with serious questions about head coach Frank Vogel’s job security and how they can fix this roster. The Suns will spend $151 million on Booker, Beal and Durant alone, and with other contracts in the works — like Grayson Allen’s new extension — they are well above the second apron of the luxury tax. More than money taken out of owner Matt Ishbia’s pockets, being above the second fiscal apron severely limits the team-building options for the Phoenix front office – it will be very difficult to make roster changes or fix the problems that led to this team being eliminated outside of the playoffs. And the Suns don’t control their first-round pick until 2031.

Minnesota’s future couldn’t be brighter. This team is on the rise (although it will have to deal with its own financial problem in the coming seasons). Edwards is announcing himself as a superstar this postseason and with the players around him, the Timberwolves are ready to win now and for years to come. It just seems like a first step.

But one of the Timberwolves and their fans deserves to celebrate.