Are the Timberwolves on upset alert in first-round matchup vs. Suns?

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) goes to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Thaddeus Young (30) in the third quarter at Target Center.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, but their matchup against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs may be a trap.

As of Monday, FanDuel lists Phoenix (49-33) as the favorite (-118) to win the series against Minnesota (56-26), even though the Timberwolves are the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and have home-court advantage.

However, the Suns swept the Timberwolves (0-3) in the regular season and have looked like the better team in every matchup. Per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Minnesota lost each game against Phoenix by 10 points or more.

More importantly, the Suns have shut down Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards. According to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, the 22-year-old has scored 43 points against Phoenix on 13-of-42 shooting.

Edwards remains confident despite his struggles against the Suns. Following a 125-106 loss to Phoenix on Sunday, he told Krawczynski, “We got the postseason, so we’ll be ready to go.”

The Suns’ roster features savvy veterans, including two-time champion power forward Kevin Durant. But if the Timberwolves pull off the upset, it signals they’re ready to make a deep run.

“There’s no better team to be playing in the first round than a team that we struggled with all year,” center Karl-Anthony Towns said Sunday, via Krawczynski. “If there was ever a time for this team to earn its shot at a [championship] parade here or to get to the second round, it’s only right that it would be against the team that we found most difficult for ourselves this year.”

Clearly, this could be one of the most entertaining matchups in the first round. Game 1 tips off on Saturday.

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