Brooks boldly claims the Suns have an edge over Minnesota.
The Minnesota Timberwolves just got handed all the motivation they could ask for heading into the final stretch of the regular season, and it came straight from the mouth of Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks.
Brooks sat down with Gillie Da King and Wallo267 on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast this past week and took direct aim at the Timberwolves while talking about his playoff preferences.
"You never know, Ant could have a great year this year and win a chip, whatever, and whatnot," Brooks said.
"But if they run into us, it's gonna be problems. We got their number this year."
Edwards Has Dominated the Matchup
Here's the thing about those comments, though: Anthony Edwards has been absolutely cooking the Suns in both of their meetings this season, and the numbers back it up in a big way.
Edwards averaged 40.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 64.4% from the field across the two games against Phoenix, including dropping 41 in the first meeting on Nov. 21.
The Timberwolves lost both of those games by a combined total of just four points, which hardly screams that Phoenix "has their number" the way Brooks suggested.
The first matchup saw Minnesota blow an eight-point lead in the final 50 seconds before Collin Gillespie hit a game-winner with 6.4 seconds left for a 114-113 Suns win, and the second game came without Devin Booker even playing for Phoenix.
Brooks also said he would guard Julius Randle over Edwards if the two teams met in the postseason because "there's no one on the team that can bang with him," but that kind of talk usually just ends up fueling a player like Edwards, who has been playing at an MVP level all season long.
Minnesota fans will also remember that Edwards and the Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, and Brooks wasn't even on that Phoenix roster at the time.
Minnesota Sits in a Much Better Position
As of March 10, the Timberwolves hold a 40-24 record and sit at No. 4 in the Western Conference, while the Suns are 37-27 and locked into the No. 7 spot with the play-in tournament looming.
Minnesota has built one of the deepest rosters in the West this season, with Edwards leading the charge and Randle, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels rounding out a group that has the talent and depth to go on a long playoff run.
A first-round meeting between the two teams is possible if the seedings shake out as a 4-5 or 3-6 matchup, and the two squads still have one more regular season game left on March 17 at Target Center in Minneapolis.
You can bet this clip of Brooks will find its way into the Timberwolves' locker room before that one tips off.
Brooks Has Bigger Issues Right Now
What makes the timing of these comments even more interesting is that Brooks isn't even available to back them up on the court right now.
He's currently sidelined with a broken left hand that is expected to keep him out for four to six weeks, putting his return somewhere in late March to early April.
Brooks was also recently arrested on suspicion of DUI in Arizona, though he was released without immediate charges.
He has been having a career year for Phoenix, averaging 20.9 points per game on 44.0% shooting after coming over in the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade last summer, but talking about a team that sits four spots above you in the standings while dealing with a broken hand and off-court trouble is a choice.
The Timberwolves have heard this kind of noise before, and if history tells us anything, poking the bear when that bear is Anthony Edwards rarely ends well for the team doing the poking.
Minnesota gets its chance to respond on March 17, and after everything Brooks had to say, you can expect the Timberwolves to come out with something to prove.