Anthony Edwards scores 36 points, Timberwolves beat Suns 126-109 for 3-0 series lead

PHOENIX (AP) — Anthony Edwards hit a jumper late in the fourth quarter and snarled as he ran down the court, pounding his chest with his fist for emphasis as Minnesota pulled away for another dominant playoff win.

The Timberwolves are the undeniable alpha dogs through three games of this increasingly lopsided series.

Edwards scored 36 points, Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 14 rebounds and the Timberwolves used a hot-shooting third quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 126-109 on Friday night and take a 3-0 lead in the first-round matchup.

“We're just embracing the moment,” Gobert said. “We have only one goal in mind and we're trying to make sure we don't get distracted by the success or the ups and downs. We're just locked in.”

Minnesota goes for the sweep in Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix.

The Wolves never trailed on Friday.

“This is a team you need to dictate terms with,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “You don't want to get behind big on them because of the way they can shoot the ball. That's been part of our messaging, part of our emphasis, we have to get off to good starts.”

It was the third straight game the Wolves used a big third to turn a tight game into a comfortable victory. Minnesota hit 7 of 11 3-pointers during the surge, including four from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, to take a 22-point lead into the fourth.

Bradley Beal led the Suns with 28 points while Kevin Durant had 25 and Devin Booker 23. The rest of the team scored just 33 points.

The 7-foot-1 Gobert said he's noticed the Suns being hesitant to drive in the lane when he's there.

“That's what I do best,” Gobert said. “I try to be a presence, give confidence to my teammates, making sure I'm there for them. I'm trying to get some blocks, but they don't really try me. So at the end of the day, that's better than any block.”

Minnesota had a six-point halftime lead and stretched its advantage to 69-58 early in the third after back-to-back 3-pointers from Mike Conley and Karl-Anthony Towns. Late in the third, Alexander-Walker hit his fourth 3-pointer of the quarter for a 95-73 lead.

The Wolves were also dominant on the glass, finishing with a 50-28 rebounding advantage. Edwards shot 12 of 23 from the field and hit all 11 of his free throws while adding nine rebounds and five assists.

“We got killed on the boards. This is a bigger, stronger team,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “We've got to compete and win the 50-50 balls. I thought our guys gave the effort, but it wasn't enough.”

Six Minnesota players scored in double figures. Towns finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds while Alexander-Walker scored 16.

The listless Suns could never cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth. Now they're one loss away from what would be a bitterly disappointing season after entering the year with championship aspirations. By the end of the third quarter, there were scattered boos coming from the home crowd.

Booker said he couldn't blame them.

“We put ourselves in a hole and we’ve got to dig ourselves out of it,” Booker said. “So that’s that.”

Phoenix's Josh Okogie, who had eight points, was ejected late in the fourth after a hard foul on Gobert.

The Timberwolves led 59-53 at the halftime break following a competitive first half. Edwards led the Wolves with 16 points while Durant had 14 for the Suns. Eric Gordon gave Phoenix a spark with 10 points in the first quarter, but it was short lived.

The Suns played without starting guard Grayson Allen, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage this season. Allen's dealing with a sprained ankle from Game 1 that he aggravated in Game 2.

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Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) and forward Kevin Durant watch a free throw during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is fouled by Phoenix Suns forward Drew Eubanks, left, during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal passes around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, right, during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker looks to pass as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) defends during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) rubs his forehead after a three pointer by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, right, during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) drives as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) defends during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson, left, and forward Jaden McDaniels, center, pressure Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant looks at the scoreboard during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker watches during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) looks away, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives on Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.

An Israeli tank brigade seized the nearby Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt early Tuesday, and it remained closed, but that limited incursion does not appear to be the start of the full-scale invasion of the crowded southern city that Israel has repeatedly promised.

The looming operation threatens to widen a rift between Israel and its main backer, the United States, which says it is concerned over the fate of around 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, most of whom fled fighting elsewhere. Israel says Rafah is Hamas' last stronghold and that a wider offensive there is needed to dismantle the group's military and governing capabilities.

The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on Rafah, a senior Biden administration official said Tuesday.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are meanwhile ramping up efforts to close the gaps in a possible agreement for at least a temporary cease-fire and the release of some of the scores of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Israel has linked the threatened Rafah operation to the fate of those negotiations.

The Rafah crossing has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and exit. Israel now controls all of Gaza’s border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago, though it has maintained a blockade with Egypt's cooperation for most of that time.

Associated Press journalists heard sporadic explosions and gunfire in the area of the Rafah crossing overnight, including two large blasts early Wednesday. The Israeli military reported six launches from Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday.

Gaza’s Health Ministry meanwhile said at least 46 patients and wounded people who had been scheduled to leave Tuesday for medical treatment have been left stranded.

U.N. agencies and aid groups have ramped up humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as Israel has lifted some restrictions and opened an additional crossing in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally. But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only gateway for the entry of fuel for trucks and generators, could have severe repercussions.

The U.N. says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.”

The war began when Hamas militants breached Israel's defenses on Oct. 7 and swept through nearby army bases and farming communities, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others after most of the rest were released during a November cease-fire.

The war has killed over 34,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and has driven some 80% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. Israel's military campaign has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, reducing large parts of Gaza to rubble.

Biden has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against launching an invasion of Rafah. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he calls off an offensive or makes too many concessions in the cease-fire talks.

The U.S. has historically provided Israel enormous amounts of military aid, which has only accelerated since the start of the war.

The paused shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 smaller ones, with the U.S. concern focused on how the larger bombs could be used in a dense urban setting, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The official said no final decision had been made yet on proceeding with the shipment.

Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press journalists Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip, in a position near the Israel-Gaza border, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Palestinian medics treat a girl wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Palestinian medics treat a girl that was wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

An Israeli flag, top, flies Tuesday, May 7, 2024, near an encampment of tents, behind left, on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, in Cambridge, Mass., set up by MIT students and supporters to protest what they said was the school's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel's military. The Israeli flags were put in place following the establishment of the tent encampment that was built to demand that MIT condemn Israel's war effort in Gaza. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Israel reopens key crossing for aid to enter Gaza that was closed over weekend rocket attack

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Israel reopens key crossing for aid to enter Gaza that was closed over weekend rocket attack