The NBA-leading Phoenix Suns, still playing short-handed, on Wednesday passed another stiff test and appear more than ready for another deep post-season run, even before Chris Paul comes back, after Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds to help them surge past the trash-talking Minnesota Timberwolves 125-116.
Devin Booker had 22 of his 28 points in the second half and Landry Shamet scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help fuel the rally from a 15-point deficit.
Phoenix need one win — or a loss by the Memphis Grizzlies — to wrap up home-court advantage for the entire playoffs.
Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY
The Suns have a nine-game lead with nine games left. They have won six straight, 18 of 22 and are 59-14 overall.
“That’s a playoff environment,” Ayton said after the game.
Anthony Edwards scored 19 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves.
They dropped 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the No. 6 seed that avoids the play-in tournament.
Towns had only three points in the second half. He seemed to spark the exchanges of trash talking and rough stuff that led to three technical fouls and one flagrant foul called on each team.
The Suns sure were not fazed.
“I don’t think we were on much of that talking until they started it, to be completely honest,” said Booker, who is a close friend of Towns and Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell. “It’s a long game. We’ve seen that situation plenty of times before — a team comes out, gets hots and gets comfortable. We just stuck with what we do.”
Towns was called for a flagrant 1 foul with 8 minutes, 35 seconds to go on Shamet, who gave the Suns their first lead at 95-94 with a pair of free throws. They stayed ahead the rest of the way.
“I think that changed the game, unfortunately,” Towns said.
The Suns, who have maintained their margin for the NBA’s best record without the playmaking and leadership of Paul for the past month, have also been playing without sixth-man Cam Johnson.
They are 11-4 since Paul broke his right thumb.
In other games, it was:
‧ Celtics 125, Jazz 97
‧ Grizzlies 132, Nets 120
‧ Heat 104, Warriors 118
‧ Hornets 106, Knicks 121
‧ Lakers 121, 76ers 126
‧ Mavericks 110, Rockets 91
‧ Pacers 109, Kings 110
‧ Pistons 122, Hawks 101
‧ Thunder 118, Magic 102
‧ Trail Blazers 96, Spurs 133
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