Minnesota Timberwolves defeat Phoenix Suns by 105-93 and take a 2-0 lead in the playoff series

Jaden McDaniels set a playoff career-high with 25 points and led the Minnesota Timberwolves to another stifling defensive performance in a 105-93 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, giving them a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. 

Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert each scored 18 points to help Minnesota Timberwolves overcome the Suns' smothering of Anthony Edwards, who was restricted to 15 points after 33 in the opening. Edwards shot 3 for 12 from the floor.

Minnesota has only had a 2-0 series lead once before, against Denver in the first round in 2004, on its way to a 4-1 series triumph. Devin Booker scored 20 points, Kevin Durant added 18, and Eric Gordon had 15 for the Suns, who once again struggled to get their high-octane offense going. The big three of Booker, Durant, and Bradley Beal combined to shoot 18 for 45, with McDaniels topping the list of reasons for the slump. 

Grayson Allen had an ankle injury in the third quarter

After opening up an eight-point lead in the second quarter and leading 51-50 at halftime, the Suns wore down, while Karl-Anthony Towns (12 points) recovered from early foul trouble. Phoenix Suns lost starting guard Grayson Allen to an ankle injury in the third quarter, and the Wolves utilized a 12-0 run to get some breathing distance. During that rally, Edwards hit a 22-footer on Durant to make it 70-63, and the momentum of the crowd noise carried into the fourth quarter. 

Conley hit Gobert with a bounce pass off the pick-and-roll for an easy dunk and an 84-76 advantage, which the Wolves subsequently increased to 19 points before the 17-year veteran point guard swished a corner 3-pointer that electrified the stadium. The Wolves won Game 1 by 25 points on Saturday thanks to their lockdown defence, which stopped two-thirds of Phoenix's big three, and a strong dose of Edwards on the offensive end. The teams go to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday night.