Timberwolves outlast Suns to finish sweep. Minnesota coach Chris Finch leaves with knee injury

PHOENIX (AP) — Minnesota star Anthony Edwards noticed early in the third quarter that the Phoenix Suns switched up their defense, playing him one-on-one most of the time instead of using the double teams from the first half.

The budding superstar took that as a challenge.

“It was like — you've got to beat us,” Edwards said. “And I showed them.”

Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half, Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 and the Timberwolves pulled away late to beat the Suns 122-116 on Sunday night and sweep the first-round playoff series.

The franchise's first playoff series win in 20 years came after coach Chris Finch left the game late in the fourth after an inadvertent collision with Wolves guard Mike Conley. The team said he had a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.

Edwards finished 13 of 23 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. The 22-year-old threw down a powerful, one-handed jam to give Minnesota a 115-111 lead with 2:14 left.

“We've watched him grow, evolve as a leader, as a player, as a man,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “It's been fun.”

Phoenix would never recover.

The Wolves finished off the Suns despite Devin Booker’s 49 points on 13 of 21 shooting. He also made 20 of 21 free throws. Kevin Durant added 33, but the rest of the team struggled.

Assistant coach Micah Nori took over for Finch for the final 1:41 and the Wolves closed with relative ease.

“Everybody has their role, everybody has each other's back,” Nori said. “I know it sounds corny, but it's just next man up, even with the coaching staff.”

Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and the Wolves had a 44-33 rebounding advantage.

It was a tight fourth quarter and the Suns tied it at 107 on Royce O'Neale's 3-pointer with 4:30 remaining. Edwards and Jaden McDaniels hit back-to-back corner 3s to put the Wolves up 113-109 with 3:20 left.

The Wolves now wait to see if they will face the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.

“Their whole team created a lot of problems for us,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “The role players, the stars. Anthony Edwards is a special, special talent. And their bigs played really well.”

Edwards hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the third and McDaniels followed with a powerful dunk, helping Minnesota turn a six-point deficit into a 68-66 lead. It was part of a big third for Edwards, who hit four 3-pointers and had 15 points.

Booker responded, scoring 18 points during the quarter and the Suns took a 92-90 lead into the fourth. It was a tough game for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, who scored just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting before fouling out.

“They were executing late and we didn't,” Booker said.

The Suns threw various looks at the Wolves in the first half, using five perimeter players at various times to try to pull big men Gobert and Towns away from the basket.

Booker hit a fallaway jumper at the buzzer to give the Suns a 61-56 halftime lead. Durant led Phoenix with 20 points before the break, while Booker had 17. Towns had 15 for the Wolves.

Suns guard Grayson Allen missed his second straight game because of a sprained ankle suffered in Game 1 that he aggravated in Game 2. He averaged 13.5 points per game and led the NBA in 3-point percentage during the regular season.

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) celebrates with guard Anthony Edwards (5) against the Phoenix Suns 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)

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson, center, gets past Phoenix Suns forward Josh Okogie and Suns guard Devin Booker for a shot during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert scores against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel applauds his players during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, right, tries to get past Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) tries to get off a shot as Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) defends during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces withdrew from some areas of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in others on Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy postponed all his upcoming foreign trips, underscoring the seriousness of the threat his soldiers are facing.

Against that grim backdrop, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure the ally of continuing American support, announcing a $2 billion arms deal. Most of the money comes from a package approved last month.

The top diplomat is in Ukraine as Russian troops press a new offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. It began last week, marking the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began in 2022 and forcing thousands to flee their homes. In recent weeks, Moscow’s forces have also sought to build on gains in the eastern Donetsk region. Taken together the developments mean the war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine’s depleted army.

Ukraine’s General Staff reported late Tuesday that troops fell back from areas in Lukyantsi and Vovchansk “in order to save the lives of our servicemen and avoid losses.”

Vovchansk — just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border and 50 kilometers (30 miles from the city of Kharkiv — has been the focus of much of the recent fighting, and Ukrainian and Russian troops battled in its streets on Wednesday. Oleksii Kharkivskyi, head of the city's patrol police, said Russian troops were taking up positions in the city, while the Ukrainian General Staff said its forces were trying to flush them out.

Gunfire could be heard in the background of a video Kharkivskyi posted on his Instagram page.

Russia is opening new fronts in order to stretch Ukraine's army, which is short of ammunition and manpower, along the about 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, hoping defenses will crumble. Russian artillery and sabotage raids have also been menacing Ukraine's northern Chernihiv and Sumy regions.

Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Tuesday that the army has sent reinforcements to the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

“It is too early to draw conclusions, but the situation is under control,” he said.

The pace of Russia’s advance in the Kharkiv border region, where it launched an offensive late last week and has made significant progress, has slowed, the Institute for the Study of War said late Tuesday. The Washington-based think tank said Moscow’s main aim there is to create a “buffer zone” that will prevent Ukrainian cross-border strikes on Russia’s Belgorod region.

Even so, Zelenskyy’s office announced Wednesday he canceled all his upcoming foreign visits and would try to reschedule them.

Zelenskyy had been expected to visit Spain, and perhaps Portugal, later this week. No reason was given for his decision — but the difficulties on the front line hung over it.

With Ukrainian troops locked in fierce battles in towns and villages, Blinken on Tuesday pledged unceasing U.S. support for the country, during and beyond the war. He also tried to lift spirits in Kyiv, performing on guitar with a band at a city bar and eating pizza at a veteran-run restaurant.

At his final event Wednesday of the two-day visit, Blinken said the Biden administration had approved a $2 billion, medium- and long-term foreign military financing package for Ukraine.

The packages generally send U.S. taxpayer money to American defense firms to manufacture and ship weaponry and other military supplies to the recipient country.

Most of the money, about $1.6 billion, comes from the $60 billion allotted to Ukraine in the supplemental foreign assistance legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, officials said.

Blinken also visited a manufacturing facility for drones, which have become a key feature of the war, and toured a grain shipment facility and a bionics factory, praising Ukrainian innovation and ingenuity in the face of wartime difficulties.

“Ukraine has had to adapt and adjust to this and it’s done so remarkably,” Blinken said of grain exports now being taken by rail after traditional shipping routes were interrupted by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Meanwhile, Russian air defenses shot down several Ukrainian missiles over the Black Sea and near the Belbek air base, Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev said. Sevastopol is where the Russian Black Sea Fleet is headquartered.

The fragments of downed missiles fell into residential areas but caused no casualties, Razvozhayev said.

Russian air defenses also shot down nine Ukrainian drones, two Vilha rockets, two anti-radar HARM missiles and two Hammer guided bombs over the Belgorod region early Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said.

Two people were injured in the village of Dubovoye when a Ukrainian rocket set their house ablaze, according to Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The military said five other Ukrainian drones were downed over the Kursk region and three drones were shot down over the Bryansk region.

The Defense Ministry also said that another Ukrainian drone was downed over the Tatarstan region. Tatarstan is located more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) east of the border with Ukraine.

Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region, said two drones attacked a fuel depot. He said there were no casualties or fire.

Ukraine has launched a steady series of drone attacks on oil refineries and fuel depots across Russia over the past months, causing significant damage.

Joseph Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona, Spain.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, performs "Rockin' in the Free World" with members of The 1999 band at the Barman Dictat bar in Kyiv, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken sought Tuesday to rally the spirits of glum Ukrainians facing a fierce new Russian offensive, assuring them that they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid on its way to the country would make a “real difference” on the battlefield. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken performs "Rockin' in the Free World" with members of The 1999 band at the Barman Dictat bar in Kyiv, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken sought Tuesday to rally the spirits of glum Ukrainians facing a fierce new Russian offensive, assuring them that they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid on its way to the country would make a “real difference” on the battlefield. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the Barman Dictat bar in Kyiv, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken sought Tuesday to rally the spirits of glum Ukrainians facing a fierce new Russian offensive, assuring them that they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid on its way to the country would make a “real difference” on the battlefield. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from right, speaks with officials during his visit to an agricultural logistics and transshipment facility in Vyshneve, Kyiv region, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Blinken, who arrived Tuesday on a two-day visit, sought to rally Ukrainians' spirits during the new Russian offensive, assuring them that they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid that is on the way after months of political delays will make a “real difference” on the battlefield. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, looks on as grain is moved during his visit to an agricultural logistics and transshipment facility in Vyshneve, Kyiv region Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media during his visit to an agricultural logistics and transshipment facility in Vyshneve, Kyiv region, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Blinken, who arrived Tuesday on a two-day visit, sought to rally Ukrainians' spirits during the new Russian offensive, assuring them that they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid that is on the way after months of political delays will make a “real difference” on the battlefield. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)

A Ukrainian serviceman of the ACHILLES battalion of the 92nd brigade carries a suicide drone to the position it will use to take off over Russian positions in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine on Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A Ukrainian serviceman of the ACHILLES battalion of the 92nd brigade operates a suicide drone over Russian positions in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine on Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, leaves the stage after addressing students and and professors in Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses students and and professors in Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, greets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, prior to their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)