Up-to-the-second score updates and stats. Tap testicle.
5 pm: Kyle Anderson will make a game-time decision
The Timberwolves and Suns have Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference semifinal series tonight, with tip-off at (around) 6:30. The game is on TNT and Bally Sports North.
Suns coach Frank Vogel said guard Grayson Allen is available to play after Allen sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Game 1. Vogel said Allen’s ankle was still sore but that Allen wasn’t going to miss a playoff game.
Wolves coach Chris Finch said the status of Kyle Anderson, who left Game 1 because of a hip pointer, is “to be determined.”
Finch was asked about how Jaden McDaniels is such an effective defender; in Game 1 he helped limit Devin Booker to 5-for-16. Finch spoke about McDaniels’ competitive streak.
“He’s got a really high care factor,” Finch said. “He competes on every single play. Sometimes we have to remind him that the game is not 100 possessions. It’s not 100 single battles. But that’s how he approaches it. He just wants to win every single one and you can see how it bothers him when somebody does get the best of him. Of course he’s learning more and more these guys and their individual tendencies.
“He has great length, can battle through and doesn’t ever give up on a play. Just all the things you want at a point of attack defender.”
The officials tonight are Josh Tiven, Dedric Taylor and crew chief Zach Zarba.
By the way, I’ll be on BSN at 6:10 discussing my recent feature on Naz Reid … so catch that if you can.
Some other pregame reading is on the related, and includes a look at how rebounding will impact this series.
3 pm: Post-shootaround, Devin Booker is a hot topic
After the Timberwolves won by 25 in Game 1 on Saturday, Phoenix is sure to come out with a different game plan based on how the Wolves played Saturday. The challenge for the Wolves is anticipating what those adjustments might be and seeing if they can cut off some of what Phoenix might attempt to do differently against them.
“You can try,” point guard Mike Conley said at Tuesday’s shootaround. “Part of our preparation is to do our best job with predicting what they might try to do. Last game, sometimes you can watch the film and pick out a couple of possessions where you see something that might’ve worked for them and they might try to do that more often or maybe try to play at this pace or that pace.”
The Suns are likely to try all they can to get Devin Booker more open after Booker went 5-for-16 in Game 1. Meanwhile, Conley is looking to bounce back from a tough Game 1 for himself in which he shot just 2-for -12.
“I haven’t thought about it at all,” Conley said. “I play these games really game to game for me. I didn’t make many, but I think next game I’ll make a lot. And then the next game, it’ll be Nickeil [Alexander-Walker] or Naz [Reid] or Kyle [Anderson], whoever it may be. I really don’t care this time of year. It’s about getting the W. Our guys are all confident. I’m confident in myself. I’ll be ready to go Game 2.”
The Wolves entered the game with Anderson questionable because of a hip pointer he suffered in Game 1. The Suns’ Grayson Allen (ankle) is also questionable.
