Suns clobber Wolves in playoff preview

Bradley Beal scored 36 points on 14-for-21 shooting, including a perfect 6-for-6 showing from beyond the arc, and the Phoenix Suns cruised to a 125-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

Devin Booker added 23 points and seven assists for Phoenix (49-33), which moved past New Orleans for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The Suns needed to beat the Timberwolves and the Pelicans had to lose against the Los Angeles Lakers in order for Phoenix to secure a top-six seed in the West and escape the play-in tournament.

Rudy Gobert scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Minnesota (56-26). The Timberwolves entered the game in a three-way tie for the best record in the Western Conference, but they dropped to the No. 3 seed after losing on Sunday while the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets both won to secure the top two spots.

The Suns' last-day ascent and the Timberwolves' drop in the standings means the teams will match up against one another in the first round of the playoffs.

Phoenix shot 54.7 percent (47 of 86) from the field and 55.2 percent (16 of 29) from 3-point range. Minnesota shot 51.4 percent (36 of 70) overall and 34.6 percent (9 of 26) from deep.

The Suns played with desperation from the opening tipoff. They surged to a 44-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and held a 66-53 advantage at the half.

Beal led the way for Phoenix as Kevin Durant played more of a complementary role. Beal drained a 3-pointer to lift the Suns to a 20-11 advantage less than five minutes into the game.

Beal hit another 3-pointer to increase the Suns' lead to 38-22 with 1:30 left in the first quarter. That started a 9-0 run that also featured a 3-pointer by Booker and another by Beal to finish the frame.

Minnesota struggled to keep pace. It cut its deficit to 89-78 at the end of the third quarter, but Phoenix outscored the hosts 36-28 in the fourth to hold the Timberwolves at bay.