17-07-2025
Phoenix Suns blow 16-point lead, fall to Minnesota Timberwolves in NBA Summer League
The Phoenix Suns dropped a third straight game in NBA Summer League, falling 89-85 Wednesday, July 16, to the unbeaten Minnesota Timberwolves at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
The Suns (1-3) blew a 16-point, first-half advantage as Tristen Newton hit a corner 3 to give Minnesota the lead for good, 86-83, with 48.7 seconds left in the game.
It was Newton's only made field goal of the game as he scored nine points on 1-of-3 shooting. The backup guard went 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Rob Dillingham paced the T-Wolves (4-0) with a team-high 23 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. He scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter on 5-of-7 shooting.
Boogie Ellis led the Suns with 23 points and Oso Ighodaro added 17.
Minnesota took a three-point advantage in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 16 in the first half. Phoenix responded to regain a two-point lead going into the fourth.
Ryan Dunn and first-round pick Khaman Maluach hit back-to-back 3s to give the Suns an 80-75 advantage with 3:49 left in the game.
Minnesota answered with a 14-5 run to close the game and remain undefeated in Vegas.
Phoenix shot just 12-of-42 from distance and 13-of-28 on free throws.
Dunn went down with what appeared to be a left foot or ankle injury late in the third quarter in attempting to block a transition layup. Dunn pounded the floor with his fist, but he got up, made his way to the Suns bench and started using stretch tape to work on the injury.
Dunn checked back into the game early in the fourth quarter.
The Suns were without two-way guard Koby Brea, who suffered a left thumb sprain in the first quarter of their second summer league game Sunday, July 13, against Atlanta. The Hawks defeated the Suns, 98-80, as Brea played with tape on the thumb for the rest of the game.
Brea played with his thumb taped in Monday's 94-76 loss to Sacramento, but he was just 1-of-9 from the field, going 0-of-4 from 3.
This is two games removed from his 19-point blast in the Suns summer league opener as he went 4-of-5 from distance in a 103-84 victory last week over Washington.
The Suns are listing the second-round pick out of Kentucky as day-to-day.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@ or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns yield 16-point lead, fall late to T-Wolves in NBA Summer League
