Julius Randle had 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 124-109 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in Minneapolis.
Rudy Gobert notched 17 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota (42-32), which completed a four-game sweep of the Suns during the regular season. Anthony Edwards finished with 20 points, and Jaden McDaniels scored 16.
Kevin Durant scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Phoenix (35-39). Collin Gillespie had 22 points and 10 assists, and Royce O’Neale finished with 21 points off the bench.
Minnesota shot 52.8 percent from the field and 48.7 percent (19 of 39) from beyond the 3-point line. Phoenix shot 51.9 percent overall and 48.6 percent (18 of 37) from long distance.
On the glass, Minnesota posted a 43-34 advantage in rebounds.
The Suns trailed by double digits throughout the fourth quarter.
Cody Martin made a basket to pull Phoenix within 94-81 with 10:18 remaining.
Minnesota responded with a 10-2 run to go ahead 104-83 with 8:44 to go. Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo drained back-to-back 3-pointers to punctuate the run.
The Timberwolves led 92-75 at the end of the third quarter. Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a driving layup in the final seconds of the quarter, but Edwards leaped for the rebound and tip shot to give Minnesota a 17-point advantage.
Minnesota led 57-45 at the half.
The Timberwolves jumped to a 14-4 lead in the first four minutes. Randle knocked down a 3-pointer off an assist from Edwards to put Minnesota on top by double digits.
The Suns pulled within 27-21 at the end of the first quarter. Durant hit a pull-up jump shot from 21 feet with one second remaining in the quarter to cut the deficit to six.
Minnesota increased its lead to 12 by the intermission. DiVincenzo finished the first-half scoring with a pair of free throws with 13 seconds to go.
