"I'll be damned if that happens": Bradley Beal aims to stave off embarrassing sweep against Timberwolves
The Phoenix Suns find themselves on the brink of elimination after going 0-3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and this is quite unfamiliar territory for Bradley Beal. The three-time NBA All-Star will enter Game 4, aiming to do whatever it takes to avoid getting swept.
Right before the season started, the Suns made a trade to acquire Beal from the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul and Landry Shamet. By acquiring the former Florida Gator, Phoenix formed the newest NBA 'Big 3' alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
The Suns were a game short of winning 50 games in the 2023-2024 regular season. But the NBA Western Conference depth made them the sixth-best team, and they faced the third-seed Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
However, the Suns 'Big 3' experiment led them to fall 0-3 against the T-wolves, and Beal was asked about his current mentality entering Game 4.
“I’ve never been swept a day in my life," said Beal (via Bleacher Report on X). "I’ll be damned if that happens."
In three games on their playoff matchup with the Timberwolves, Beal has averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals. He shot 47.8% from the field and 50.0% beyond the three-point line.
The Phoenix Suns will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 this Sunday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Bradley Beal's playoff history
As Bradley Beal prepares for Game 4 against Minnesota, let's dive into his playoff history after uttering that he has not been swept in his entire NBA career.
Since this is the first time he is in the NBA playoffs with the Phoenix Suns, Beal had fair success with the Washington Wizards, making the playoffs four consecutive times from 2014 to 2018 and also in 2021.
The Wizards made the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals thrice in a row with Beal at the helm along with John Wall from 2014 to 17 and had two first-round exits in 2018 and 2021.
The closest that Bradley Beal was swept in the first round was facing Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in 2021, but the Wizards won Game 3 in that best-of-seven series.
In 45 playoff games with the Wizards, Bradley Beal has averaged 23.5 points. 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He also made 2.3 three-pointers a game on 34.7% accuracy. His highest playoff average in scoring was back in the 2020-21 playoffs with 30.0 ppg in five games.