MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle scored 32 points and Bones Hyland had 22 points off the bench to help the Minnesota Timberwolves offset the absence of All-Star Anthony Edwards and beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104 on Tuesday night.
Ayo Dosunmu added 19 points and Rudy Gobert had 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who are 7-4 without Edwards this season. The NBA ‘s third-leading scorer will miss the next week or two with knee inflammation.
Devin Booker scored 34 points despite shooting 1 for 7 from 3-point range for the Suns, who finished a five-game road trip with their third straight loss.
After losing 120-112 in Boston the night before, the Suns played without three of their top five scorers as Grayson Allen (knee soreness) joined the previously sidelined Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams.
The Timberwolves (42-27), who entered the evening tied with Denver for fifth place in the Western Conference, used a 16-2 run that started late in the third quarter to take control as Randle posted his second straight 32-point game.
The seventh-place Suns (39-30) were within one game of the Timberwolves just five days ago, trying to move above the cut for avoiding the play-in tournament. Phoenix still won the season series with Minnesota 2-1.
Hyland, the fifth-year guard who has carved out a valuable niche in the rotation, had a big hand in the rally from a lethargic start that had the Timberwolves trailing by 11 points less than five minutes into the game.
Hyland hit a fadeaway 3-pointer from the wing with 0.2 seconds left in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 39-36. After Jaden McDaniels swiped the ball from Royce O’Neale in the backcourt to start a fast break, Hyland finished it with a layup to tie the game at 59.
Up next
Suns play at San Antonio on Thursday.
Timberwolves host Utah on Wednesday.
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