The Phoenix Suns have gone another step forward in establishing the best record in the NBA this season after a 125-116 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves have been an incredibly competitive team since the All-Star break, so this game had a playoff atmosphere to it.
The Wolves were trying to play mind games with the Suns, with a lot of verbal jabs through the game from both sides. However, tensions peaked after Karl-Anthony Towns came down from the top of the key and posterized Suns’ forward Jae Crowder.
Crowder was not happy about the dunk and was especially upset with Towns showboating and doing the ‘too small’ taunt. As the Suns brought the ball back up the court, Crowder and KAT got locked up guarding each other as the referees blew the whistle.
KAT and Crowder getting chippy after the poster 🍿 https://t.co/rrRpGeIx6F
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2022
The video shows the Wolves players were really enjoying getting a reaction like that from the Suns’, with Edwards and Towns smiling and clapping while Jarred Vanderbilt got involved with Crowder. It was an unnecessary scuffle and nothing came of it later in the game, but it was a very heated and charged moment in a game where tensions ran high.
For all the showboating the Wolves did, they still fell short. KAT in particular struggled all game, being locked up by DeAndre Ayton, who scored a career-high 35 points on Towns. The T’Wolves big-man ended up with just 15 points, one of his worst individual games since the All-Star break.
The Wolves are trying to show edge in a bid to make sure they are feared come playoff time. However, they still are fighting to be the sixth seed and are looking likely to be in the play-in before matching up against either the Suns or the Memphis Grizzlies. They face the Mavericks on Friday, who just beat them in the game prior to this.
