Timberwolves notes: Ryan Saunders chose right in riding Derrick Rose's hot hand

The minutes were mounting, but Wolves interim coach Ryan Saunders stayed with Derrick Rose down the stretch Sunday night.

He had to.

Rose was on fire, first of all. After scoring just two points on 1-for-6 shooting in the first half, Rose had taken over in the second and was on his way to a 29-point half. And the pesky Suns were threatening an upset. With a home win desperately needed, Saunders rode with Rose, who played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter and 22½ of 24 minutes in the second half.

“He was great,” Saunders said after the game. “He got to his spots, he got it going. He gave us a huge boost. And, obviously, he played heavy minutes, all at once. So he was really good. We needed…