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FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 9:33 am
by Phenom
Well the Wolves have fucked around too many times this season and are finding out what happens. They are clinging on to the 6th seed and now with Ant ailing and out, their margin for error is razor thin to stay out of the play-in.
On a positive note, with Ant out maybe it means the collective supporting cast can snap out of their malaise and get back on track.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 10:02 am
by AussieWolf3
This and the next PHO game might be the most influential in determining the 6th seed. I'm hard pressed to believe that missing Ant will be a positive- it's gone under discussed but he's about the only player on the roster who has mostly maintained his mean level of play over the recent skid, and in most of these games was the only one holding them above water till the dam broke.
This isn't to say he's played well relative to his standard, but Randle, Rudy, and jmac have been booty.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 10:20 am
by FNG
Yeah, it's hard to consider it a positive when your lead scorer is out. But maybe it's a positive in that our supporting cast will need to step up. And if Ayo moves into the starting lineup, or even if he doesn't, we will see a team that will play with a lot more pace. And probably more intensity on defense. But picking up the slack on offense will be a challenge.
I would argue that it's more of a hardship for the Suns to be missing 2 starters in Brooks and Williams than it is for us to be missing Ant...that's a lot of irritating defense missing. I also think the Suns might be better when Jalen Green is out...he's shooting 41% (30% on a high volume of 3-pointers) and has almost as many turnovers as assists. Gillespie has been really good against us this season, but he's struggling...7 points total in the past 3 games. But then there's Booker. After a poor shooting first half of the season, he's making 40% of his treys in March and averaging 38 PPG in the past three games. Whoever gets him...Jaden or Ayo...has his work cut out for him.
I still don't think there is much of a chance of us dropping into the play in...my forecast has us 4 games ahead of the Suns. But a klunker tonight (and corresponding anti-klunker for the Suns) would slice that in half to 2 games. So this is a big one for us tonight.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 12:21 pm
by AbeVigodaLive
FNG wrote: ↑Tue Mar 17, 2026 10:20 am
Yeah, it's hard to consider it a positive when your lead scorer is out. But maybe it's a positive in that our supporting cast will need to step up. And if Ayo moves into the starting lineup, or even if he doesn't, we will see a team that will play with a lot more pace. And probably more intensity on defense. But picking up the slack on offense will be a challenge.
I would argue that it's more of a hardship for the Suns to be missing 2 starters in Brooks and Williams than it is for us to be missing Ant...that's a lot of irritating defense missing. I also think the Suns might be better when Jalen Green is out...he's shooting 41% (30% on a high volume of 3-pointers) and has almost as many turnovers as assists. Gillespie has been really good against us this season, but he's struggling...7 points total in the past 3 games. But then there's Booker. After a poor shooting first half of the season, he's making 40% of his treys in March and averaging 38 PPG in the past three games. Whoever gets him...Jaden or Ayo...has his work cut out for him.
I still don't think there is much of a chance of us dropping into the play in...my forecast has us 4 games ahead of the Suns. But a klunker tonight (and corresponding anti-klunker for the Suns) would slice that in half to 2 games. So this is a big one for us tonight.
It's dicey to predict much of anything for the Wolves based on the team's recent play... while almost completely healthy.
A loss tonight puts them one game ahead of the Suns... and the Suns have the tiebreaker.
A play-in berth is in play for the local team. Let's say they somehow (embarrassingly) end up behind the Suns. That would pit them against the Clippers. And the Wolves have struggled mightily recently vs. the Clippers. A loss there and the Wolves are looking at disaster... either missing the playoffs or facing OKC in the 1st round.
I think they can make a series of it vs. the Spurs. They have 0 chance vs. the Thunder.
[Note: I think the Wolves win tonight even without Ant to create some much-needed breathing room. I also think the Wolves are fine with the #6 seed at the end of the day.]
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 12:37 pm
by Wolvesfan21
FNG wrote: ↑Tue Mar 17, 2026 10:20 am
Yeah, it's hard to consider it a positive when your lead scorer is out. But maybe it's a positive in that our supporting cast will need to step up. And if Ayo moves into the starting lineup, or even if he doesn't, we will see a team that will play with a lot more pace. And probably more intensity on defense. But picking up the slack on offense will be a challenge.
I would argue that it's more of a hardship for the Suns to be missing 2 starters in Brooks and Williams than it is for us to be missing Ant...that's a lot of irritating defense missing. I also think the Suns might be better when Jalen Green is out...he's shooting 41% (30% on a high volume of 3-pointers) and has almost as many turnovers as assists. Gillespie has been really good against us this season, but he's struggling...7 points total in the past 3 games. But then there's Booker. After a poor shooting first half of the season, he's making 40% of his treys in March and averaging 38 PPG in the past three games. Whoever gets him...Jaden or Ayo...has his work cut out for him.
I still don't think there is much of a chance of us dropping into the play in...my forecast has us 4 games ahead of the Suns. But a klunker tonight (and corresponding anti-klunker for the Suns) would slice that in half to 2 games. So this is a big one for us tonight.
I think it might not be a bad thing if we can pick up the player and ball movement overall. The one thing that could go the worst is watching Ju dribble into a 4 person crowd constantly and turn it over. So we'll see. Time to get back to basics.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 2:24 pm
by 60WinTim
ANT out for the next 1-2 weeks after MRI shows right knee inflammation.
Time for our depth to show up. I'll be disappointed if Finch doesn't start Ayo tonight.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 2:48 pm
by Phenom
A rested and healthy Ant plus a reempowered supporting cast might be the variable this team needs.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 3:07 pm
by AbeVigodaLive
60WinTim wrote: ↑Tue Mar 17, 2026 2:24 pm
ANT out for the next 1-2 weeks after MRI shows right knee inflammation.
Time for our depth to show up. I'll be disappointed if Finch doesn't start Ayo tonight.
I saw “Re-evaluated” in 1-2 weeks.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 5:14 pm
by FNG
Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 17, 2026 12:37 pm
FNG wrote: ↑Tue Mar 17, 2026 10:20 am
Yeah, it's hard to consider it a positive when your lead scorer is out. But maybe it's a positive in that our supporting cast will need to step up. And if Ayo moves into the starting lineup, or even if he doesn't, we will see a team that will play with a lot more pace. And probably more intensity on defense. But picking up the slack on offense will be a challenge.
I would argue that it's more of a hardship for the Suns to be missing 2 starters in Brooks and Williams than it is for us to be missing Ant...that's a lot of irritating defense missing. I also think the Suns might be better when Jalen Green is out...he's shooting 41% (30% on a high volume of 3-pointers) and has almost as many turnovers as assists. Gillespie has been really good against us this season, but he's struggling...7 points total in the past 3 games. But then there's Booker. After a poor shooting first half of the season, he's making 40% of his treys in March and averaging 38 PPG in the past three games. Whoever gets him...Jaden or Ayo...has his work cut out for him.
I still don't think there is much of a chance of us dropping into the play in...my forecast has us 4 games ahead of the Suns. But a klunker tonight (and corresponding anti-klunker for the Suns) would slice that in half to 2 games. So this is a big one for us tonight.
I think it might not be a bad thing if we can pick up the player and ball movement overall. The one thing that could go the worst is watching Ju dribble into a 4 person crowd constantly and turn it over. So we'll see. Time to get back to basics.
Yeah, Ju is the wild card here, isn't he WF...he becomes much more important with Ant out. Fortunately, Ju seems to play better when Ant is out. He scored 29 in the first game Ant missed and 38 in the second. We're going to need his production tonight and during the entire time Ant is out.
Re: FAFO Suns @ Wolves GDT
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2026 5:27 pm
by FNG
I may completely change my mind if tonight's game turns out to be a disaster, but I'm not too troubled by this news. It sounds like this is inflammation rather than any kind of a tear, and it might explain why Ant's defense has been so poor recently. Maybe getting Ant a week or two of rest before the playoffs is exactly what this team needs. Again, tonight's game may cause me to look at this differently, but I don't think Ant's absence will hurt our playoff positioning. Assuming a win tonight, I am my forecast gives us a 4 game cushion over the Suns, so I'm not concerned about falling into the play in. We may lose home games to Houston and Detroit that I had as wins, but that still won't drop us below the Suns. We're going to finish 6th.
I'm going to add a little more optimism. Finishing 6th to me is better than finishing 5th, because it means we don't have to face the Thunder unless we meet them again in the finals. A first round series with the Nuggets is a coin toss for me if Ant comes back rested and ready. Julius got to watch this team for a few weeks last season when he was out, and he came back with a much better understanding of his role. Maybe Ant's time on the bench will have the same positive impact.