You could feel it happening at some point in the third quarter Tuesday — a near carbon copy of Saturday’s occurrence — Phoenix submitted.

After fighting, scratching and clawing for 30 minutes to hang with the stronger, more physical Wolves, the Suns eventually toss in the towel. Such was the case in Game 2 on Tuesday, where Minnesota utilized a 10-0 run — a span in which the Suns were scoreless for four minutes — to turn a three-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

Minnesota led by six early in the fourth, before an 11-0 run essentially closed the contest as the Wolves pulled away for a 105-93 victory.

After a pair of blowout victories, Minnesota leads the series 2-0 with Game 3 scheduled for Friday for the first of a pair of weekend contests in Phoenix.

At this point, who knows if a Game 5 back at Target Center will be necessary.

A “Wolves in 4” chant

The Suns either can’t or won’t box Minnesota for 48 minutes, and it’s likely a combination of the two. After being routed in three regular-season bouts with Phoenix, the Wolves have turned the first two playoff games into a street fight.

And the Suns can only take so many punches.

Minnesota’s defensive physicality has clearly worn the Suns down. They make silly turnovers — 20 giveaways Tuesday led to 31 Minnesota points — and, by game’s end, they’re too tired to run in transition or compete on the defensive end.

The Wolves simply wear you out.

They do so with an army of talented players that runs as deep as any roster in the NBA. In Game 1, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid and Anthony Edwards led the charge.

On Tuesday, Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert were brilliant in the first half while Minnesota struggled to find its way offensively. Conley had 14 of his 18 points in the first half.

Gobert tallied 18 points and nine rebounds. and the star of the night was Jaden McDaniels, the two-way wing who has struggled at times with his offense this season. But he was effectively aggressive Tuesday to the tune of 25 points and eight rebounds while hounding Phoenix’s star perimeter players on the other end.

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Brad Beal all logged more than 40 minutes in what felt like a last-gasp effort for Phoenix. Frankly, they have to play big minutes given Phoenix’s thin rotation that lost a key contributor in the third quarter when Grayson Allen left with another ankle injury.

But Phoenix’s “Big 3” certainly don’t seem to fit that moniker at the moment. None of the three ever were able to truly take charge of the game. There was no rhythm established. The Suns played like a desperate team in the first half, like they knew they needed to win that game.

They stuck to their defensive principles. They were much more competitive on the glass. They ran a number of actions designed to get their best players some separation.

None of it mattered. Minnesota withstood it all. Beal, Durant and Booker all looked incredibly ordinary.

It doesn’t feel like the Wolves’ best game is required to beat Phoenix. Because as long as the Wolves play with the requisite effort and intensity they figure to deliver every time they step onto the floor for a playoff contest, they’ll simply outlast the Suns.

They have too much ammo for this fight. Too many bodies to send at you. Too much effort and physicality to contend with.

As a result, this fight is quickly devolving into a “no contest.”

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