Devin Booker joked about being a Lakers fan for the final day of the NBA regular season, as the Suns needed the Lakers to beat the Pelicans to secure the No. 6 seed in the West. After the Lakers beat the Pelicans and Suns won over the Timberwolves and seeding was closed, Booker jokingly withdrew his support.
"I don't care about them anymore. Nah, I'm just messing with you. Crazy how everything worked out. Long season, I keep saying the play-in makes a lot of things interesting, but I think, moving forward, everyone is going to value every game, not just the final stretch. There are losses at the start of the regular season that you usually forget about that come back to haunt you."
The final day of the regular season had a lot riding on it in terms of standings in the West, with the game between the Lakers and Pelicans along with the Suns' game against the Timberwolves deciding a chunk of it. The Pelicans could have held onto the No. 6 seed with a win over the Lakers regardless of the Suns' result while sending the Lakers to the No. 10 seed.
Instead, the Lakers' win jumped them up to No. 8 while the Pelicans fell to No. 7 courtesy of the Suns' win. If the Suns lost that game, they'd finish at No. 7 behind the Pelicans irrespective of what the Pelicans did against the Lakers. In addition, the Wolves lost out on the No. 1 seed in the West with a loss, falling to No. 3 and placing themselves in the first round against the Suns.
Suns vs. Timberwolves Playoff Matchup Set
We don't often see a playoff matchup also be played on the final day of the regular season, but that's what we have to look forward to with the Suns vs. Wolves in the first round. The Suns have the season advantage on the Wolves, going 3-0 in their matchups. This is a concern for Minnesota, as their team isn't set up to stop the Suns from outscoring them.
The Timberwolves defense is capable of stopping almost any team in the NBA, but when you analyze the individual talent on the Suns, they're bound to create offensive opportunities even in the face of great defense. They've been a top-10 defensive team in the NBA since December, which indicates they're solid enough on that end to stifle one of the worst offenses in the NBA.
Frank Vogel is a defensive-minded coach and will set his team up to force the Wolves into bad shots and a poor offensive rhythm, even without a bonafide stopper on the team. Their success will be defined by their big three, as they have to navigate the stifling Wolves defense to put numbers on the board.
There have been doubts over the Wolves' success translating to the playoffs and the Suns are the perfect opponent to test that. Phoenix's regular season was below their standards, but they're built to be a dangerous playoff team and can upset any top-seed in the West.
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