On April 24, Beijing time, the first round of the NBA playoffs continued, and the Suns challenged the Timberwolves away. In the series G1, the Suns suffered a 25-point defeat, but in G2, Allen, the core 3D star of the Suns, suffered a serious injury to the 90-degree foot and missed the game, and the Suns collapsed in the fourth quarter and suffered a heavy defeat of 93-105 on the road, so the Suns fell behind the Timberwolves 0-2. Allen is expected to miss for a while, adding to the Suns' weak perimeter defense, and the suspense of the series may not be much, and if nothing else, the Nuggets and Timberwolves will meet in the semifinals, with both teams currently holding a 2-0 lead. Let's take a look at the performance of the Suns players and who is the culprit in the loss of this game, and the data speaks for itself.
Beal had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, and his overall performance was average, as the core of the backcourt, he also had to take care of the team's organizational responsibilities. Beal is actually a very good scorer, but after coming to the Suns, his role has changed, and Vogel will let him carry the ball more to connect the team, like Harden to become a two-way guard, but Beal does not have the flowing and agile passing ability like Harden. Beal shot 6-of-17 from the field and had four turnovers, so he's definitely going to be held accountable.
Durant was beaten by Edwards again, and in the last game, Huazi angrily sprayed KD for not being able to prevent him, and this game continued to make Durant lose face. With only 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists on 6-of-15 shooting, Durant was the Suns' leading scorer, but his performance in this year's playoffs was very strained, and his form declined significantly. Moreover, Durant's confidence may have been crushed by Edwards, you must know that KD is Huazi's idol, but Huazi continued to humiliate Durant one-on-one in the arena. KD is 36 years old, his era has passed, he can't be dissatisfied, the Suns failed miserably in this game, and Durant should bear the greatest responsibility.
Booker played nearly 42 minutes and left the game with six fouls in the final minute, scoring 20 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals on 6-of-13 shooting, but also had six turnovers. Booker is the soul of the Suns, he really tried his best, and Booker must have been frustrated to see his team so tough, but the Suns' team-building strategy is very problematic, the interior strength is too weak, and there are few available defensive players on the front line.
Allen played just 17 minutes before leaving the court with an injury, and he finished with three points, three rebounds and one steal on 1-of-2 three-pointers. Allen signed a four-year, $70 million contract with the Suns, but in the playoffs, Allen's overall performance was average, with 0 of 3 three-pointers in the last game, and only 4 points from the free throw line, which obviously did not meet expectations, and this game was injured again. Judging from the Suns' fiasco in this game, Allen is not to blame, after all, the Suns' collapse was at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and Allen had already returned to the locker room.
Nurkic faced the encirclement of Gobert and Towns, and this time he stood up, cutting a double-double of 10 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists, which can be regarded as completing the task assigned to him by Vogel, and he is only the team's blue-collar center, and his tactical position is relatively low, so it is not his turn to take responsibility.
Gordon, who came off the bench, scored 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal on 5-of-9 shooting, and as a top player on the bench, Gordon also hit 3 three-pointers, and his performance was good enough. Eubanks scored 8 points on 4-of-8 shooting, what else could he ask him to do? Royce O'Neale made 0 shots, grabbed just four rebounds, and focused more on the defensive end.