The Wolves were without Jake Layman (toe), Josh Okogie (knee), Treveon Graham (arm) and Robert Covington (personal) on Saturday afternoon against the Suns.
While other players, such as Keita Bates-Diop, stepped up in their absence, having just one of those players would have helped immensely in this one.
Minnesota fell 100-98 to the Suns. The Wolves were down 98-95 with 10 seconds left and Karl-Anthony Towns missed a 35-foot 3-pointer. In fairness, Towns was 5-for-10 prior to that 3-point shot. But it was a deep shot with time left on the clock.
The loss drops the Wolves to 8-8 on the season, while the Suns improved to 8-7.
For a team looking at the playoffs, moral victories aren’t too much of a thing, but there were some positives.
Bates-Diop, who has also spent time with the Iowa Wolves this season, finished with 22 points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench. When he’s aggressive and attacks the basket, he’s incredibly difficult to stop given his size.
Towns led the Wolves with 31 points, 17 rebounds and four assists. Andrew Wiggins, who dinged his leg earlier in the game, finished with 21 points, four rebounds, three blocks and three assists.
With Minnesota shorthanded, two-way player Kelan Martin played 18 minutes and was 0-for-7 from the field. Jaylen Nowell appeared in his first NBA game, playing 14 minutes and finishing with three points. While those players have shown flashes, there will be ups and downs, like any young player.
Jordan Bell, who has dealt with injuries all season, got some run and played 17 minutes. He gave the Wolves exactly what they hoped for when they signed him this offseason. In those minutes, Bell had three points, nine rebounds, two blocks and an assist. While Bell might not be a great offensive player, he makes winning plays that can energize his team. We saw that in the second half of this one.
Suns guard Devin Booker had himself a game, finishing with 35 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. A defender like Graham or Okogie certainly would have helped with that. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 25 as well.
The Wolves are back at it on Monday night in Atlanta against Trae Young and the Hawks. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Fox Sports North and 830 WCCO.