Suns win 3rd straight, dominate Timberwolves 97-87

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — All five starters scored in double figures as the Suns led from beginning to end to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Phoenix on Friday night 97-87.

It’s the Suns’ third straight win, and they have won seven of their last nine games as they battle for playoff position.

The Suns scored the game’s first 15 points, and Minnesota never got within striking distance. Phoenix saw their lead get as big as 21 points.

They stepped up their defense again, holding the T-Wolves to under 35% shooting from 3 and 37% overall. Phoenix had 12 steals and three blocks.

Grayson Allen, who missed Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a hip injury, had 23 points, including going 4-8 from beyond the arc.

Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

As far as the Big 3 goes, Kevin Durant had 22 points, Devin Booker had an off night with only 13 points on 3-12 shooting but dished out 13 assists, and Bradley Beal scored 14 points.

Minnesota came into the game with the No. 1 seed in the West and the NBA’s top defense. They are now tied with the Denver Nuggets for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Suns are in sixth place but inched closer to the Dallas Mavericks for fifth and put distance between them and the seventh-place Pelicans.

Phoenix hosts the Pelicans on Sunday.

Suns got off to a red-hot start with a 15-0 run in the first 4:25 of the game, with Booker scoring five of the points.

Minnesota was 0-6 from the field during that stretch.

Mike Conley hit a free throw to stop the scoring streak, and then the Timberwolves hit their first field goal with 6:59 left in the first.

The Suns have won six straight games against the T-Wolves in Phoenix.

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