PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns’ bench outscored their Timberwolves counterparts 37-12 on Monday, but that lopsided statistic wasn’t what put interim head coach Sam Mitchell in a mood afterward.
It was the fact that his team’s reserves were outrebounded 16-7 and outdone in any number of ways, some you can quantify statistically and others you can’t but all contributed to a 107-104 loss decided by Phoenix forward Mirza Teletovic’s rainbow three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left.
Mitchell’s young stars — Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine — contributed 67 points between the three of them, and Ricky Rubio followed Friday’s winning three-point shot in Oklahoma City by tying the franchise record for assists for the fourth time (17).