Rudy Gobert ruled out, Wolves lose ground against Suns

THE Wolves they were hoping to get past the sixth this Monday while visiting a Phoenix team within reach, devoid of Devin Booker (and Jalen Green). But that was without counting on the defensive toughness and collective offensive cohesion of these Suns who steered their boat all the way to a 108-105 victory. Aside from Rudy Gobert’s suspension, which didn’t help, Minnesota didn’t show much, too often relying on Anthony Edwards (40 points), without success.

Even more rigorous, the Suns gave Wolves trouble in the first half, thanks to Dillon Brooks’ skill at the start of the game and then the support of the Allen-O’Neill-Williams trio to take the lead. After two baskets by Colin Gillespie, Jamaree Bouie’s “two-way contract” increased the deficit to +9 in favor of Phoenix at the end of the first quarter (20-29).

Conversely, despite an encouraging start from Rudy Gobert and some flashes from Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota struggled to develop its collective, too often resorting to personal exploits by Anthony Edwards, such as his two 3-pointers at the end of the first half, which were imitated by Bones Hyland just before the break (57-62).

The Suns, however, were able to maintain control in the third quarter, especially after Rudy Gobert’s Flagrant II synonymous with ejection (69-69). Again, it was Anthony Edwards who had to work on offense to keep his team in the game until the end of the period (84-84). The start of the final act, however, was much more difficult as Phoenix hit home first with a score of 14-3 (87-98), thanks to the unexpected trio of, to say the least, Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin!

This time, Anthony Edwards could count on the support of Bones Hyland to revive the hope of the Wolves side, the leader connected an off-balance basket with the backboard, then two 3-point arrows to bring the deficit back to one possession at the beginning of “money time” (97-100). Phoenix returned to +6, and despite all the good will of the Edwards-Randle pair, Phoenix held on until the end, leaving Minneapolis with the victory, 108-105, thanks to two last throws by Colin Gillespie and a last-ditch attempt from behind the arc by Jaden McDaniels.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

The banishment of Rudy Gobert. The Frenchman, however, had a good evening. The victim of an inadvertent slap to the head by Mark Williams, who was booked for a Flagrant 1, the Wolves pivot was at fault for responding to his direct opponent at the first opportunity. Moments later, as Mark Williams went up for a dunk, Rudy Gobert made sure to stop him from scoring, elbowing him nasty in the ribs. After consultation, the referees deemed his action worthy of a Flagrant 2, due to unnecessary and dangerous contact with Mark Williams.

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The cunning of Mark Williams. Although his Flagrant 1 was unintentional, Mark Williams quickly jabbed Rudy Gobert and was able to throw him out. Enough to clear the way to the circle! The Suns’ pivot showed it in the next action by touching Royce O’Neill’s serve. Upon arrival, the second half script proved him right as he finished “MVP” with his 22 points (7/9 shooting), 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. The icing on the cake, he even scored a three-pointer, his first in his career!

Bad choices by the Wolves. That is what we will remember from the end of the match. Too many approximations at important “money-time” moments. We think of Anthony Edwards at 99-105, who manages to blow his direct opponent to 3 points, rises but does not shoot, opting for a poison gift to Mike Conley who also could not shoot. A few moments later, at 103-106, Julius Randle manages to break into the circle. This one is open, but Randle sees Naz Reed out of the corner of his eye, open for a 3-pointer, and decides to serve to him. It failed again. We can also chalk up the 19 seconds that went by without a shot at 103-106 to Anthony Edwards’ drive. Finally, what can we say about taking advantage of the last 6.7 seconds on the last possession? Not much better…

Collin Gillespie, it’s him again! He already was the hero of the first confrontation between the two teams, putting up the game-winning floater in the final seconds of a 114-113 win in Phoenix. He was impressive again last night, with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, three 3-pointers that were very damaging to the Wolves’ morale in the fourth quarter, until these two shots gave the Suns their 14th win of the season without hesitation.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / 3 points in an attempt; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.