PHOENIX _ When owner Glen Taylor fired former coach Tom Thibodeau, he cited a number of losses the Timberwolves suffered under Thibodeau that Taylor felt the Wolves should have won. One of those was a loss the Wolves had to the lowly Suns in December.
If interim coach Ryan Saunders is going to remove the interim tag, he likely has to win against teams like the Suns.
For the second time in as many games, the Wolves did that in a 118-91 victory at Talking Stick Resort Arena that featured an unusual altercation between Gorgui Dieng and Devin Booker that resulted in ejections for both. Karl-Anthony Towns took advantage again of DeAndre Ayton's absence, who was out with a sprained ankle, scoring 25 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.
Josh Okogie had an efficient night from the floor, scoring 21 on 7-of-11 shooting while Jerryd Bayless scored a season-high 14 off the bench.
The Wolves led 32-27 after the first quarter. Towns ignited a 20-7 Wolves surge to end the half with a 64-49 lead.
In the third, Dieng and Booker were ejected after Booker took a swipe at Dieng during a dead ball. The two appeared to want to continue jawing in the hallway, but after tempers calmed, the Wolves settled back down and took care of business the rest of the half to leave Phoenix with a win.
