PREVIEW: Suns Look to Continue Momentum vs Timberwolves

PHOENIX -- The 2024-25 NBA season moves along tonight with yet another crucial contest for the Phoenix Suns (24-21) - as the Suns have an opportunity to pass the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-21) in the standings tonight at Footprint Center.
The Suns are coming off of a narrow victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, while Minnesota defeated the Atlanta Hawks on the same night.
Minnesota will be without Donte DiVincenzo for this game, while also possibly missing rookie phenom Rob Dillingham. Phoenix could see Kevin Durant sit out of this game as well after the superstar injured his thumb late in Monday's contest - and their own rookie stud in Ryan Dunn has been upgraded to questionable after suffering an ankle sprain on Saturday night.
A brief preview entailing the night ahead:
Wolves: Stringing Key Victories Together
The Timberwolves have been in a similar position to Phoenix - sky-high expectations that have been marred by general inconsistency.
However, as of late the Wolves have picked up the pace much like Phoenix - Minnesota is coming off of three standout performances in a row coming into tonight.
They defeated the Dallas Mavericks on the road last Wednesday, dismantled Denver Nuggets by 29 points on Saturday, and edged out the Hawks on Monday as previously mentioned.
Is Minnesota built to rise past the slow start? Tonight will be an awesome litmus for both squads moving forward.
Player to Watch: Anthony Edwards
The rising superstar has far and away been the most valuable player to Minnesota this season.
Edwards has shot over 41% from three-point range on nearly 10 attempts in 46 appearances while also taking a step forward in other departments such as playmaking and defense.
53 POINTS. (career high)
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2025
10 THREES.
Anthony Edwards left it all on the floor in Detroit 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bx5uADak31
How much of a burden is Edwards truly carrying? He is leading the team in scoring by over 7 PPG - and the much-maligned Julius Randle has been his sidekick after the franchise shipped out Karl-Anthony Towns shortly before teams reported to training camp for this season.
The truth is that the path to victory for the Timberwolves tonight lies within Edwards' ability to put forth a massive performance.
Prediction: Suns Win
The Suns will manage to steal another victory tonight - and will directly climb up the standings as a result.
The Suns can win this game - even without Durant. The team is playing some of the best basketball of the season at this stage - and Devin Booker enjoyed a season-high 44 point performance in the first meeting between the teams in November.
It simply feels as if the supporting cast in Phoenix has been playing better compared to Minnesota's over the last several weeks - and Mike Budenholzer's increased comfortability with the personnel/rotations will serve the Suns well in what should be a tightly contested contest.
Suns-Wolves is set to tip-off shortly after 7 P.M. Arizona time tonight.