The Phoenix Suns will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs for a series starting Saturday in Minneapolis.
Tipoff for Game 1 of the tilt between the third-seeded T-Wolves and sixth-seeded Suns is slated for 12:30 p.m. MST on ESPN or locally on Arizona’s Family 3TV and Arizona’s Family Sports.
It can be heard on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.
Here is the full schedule for the first-round matchup:
|
#6 Phoenix vs. #3 Dallas |
||||||
|
DAY |
DATE |
AWAY |
HOME |
GM |
TIME |
TV |
|
Sat |
4/20 |
Phoenix |
Minnesota |
1 |
12:30 p.m. |
ESPN/Arizona’s Family 3TV and Arizona’s Family Sports |
|
Tue |
4/23 |
Phoenix |
Minnesota |
2 |
4:30 p.m. |
TNT/Arizona’s Family 3TV and Arizona’s Family Sports |
|
Fri |
4/26 |
Minnesota |
Phoenix |
3 |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN/Arizona’s Family 3TV and Arizona’s Family Sports |
|
Sun |
4/28 |
Minnesota |
Phoenix |
4 |
6:30 p.m. |
TNT/Arizona’s Family 3TV and Arizona’s Family Sports |
|
Tue |
4/30 |
Phoenix |
Minnesota |
5* |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Thu |
5/2 |
Minnesota |
Phoenix |
6* |
TBD |
TBD |
|
Sat |
5/4 |
Phoenix |
Minnesota |
7* |
TBD |
TNT |
To nail down the sixth seed, the Suns beat the T-Wolves on Sunday, while the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans in their respective regular-season finales. The results helped Phoenix to avoid the play-in tournament, earning a week off before its first-round series starts.
Speaking of the Lakers, they knocked off the Pelicans in their play-in tournament matchup to secure the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. L.A. will now face No. 2 seed Denver in the first round of the playoffs.
Victories by the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder moved the Wolves down to No. 3 after three teams came into their regular season finales tied at No. 1 for the first time in NBA history.
The series will begin in Minnesota at the Target Center where the Timberwolves are 30-11 this season. The Suns finished the regular season 24-17 away from home.
Phoenix finished its regular season 10-4 over its last 14 games. Minnesota finished 9-5 over its final 14, the difference being two head-to-head wins by the Suns over the stretch.
The Suns won the earlier matchup in the season as well, an 18-point win in November, setting the foundation for a regular-season sweep.
How to watch Game 1 of the Suns-Wolves first-round playoff series
Time: 12:30 p.m. MST. Saturday
TV: ESPN/Arizona’s Family 3TV and Arizona’s Family Sports