Julius Randle had a tough night in Game 2, but he made it to bounce back in Game 3.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had an epic Game 3 performance, convincingly beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 143-101. Anthony Edwards gets his usual acclaim on his 30-point night, but Julius Randle was spectacular again.
This was a key result after Randle delivered a terrifying six-point performance in Game 2.
He didn’t disappoint him as he continued his job. It brought a great 24-point night in Game 3 and served as the driving force behind the blowout victory.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was an ec for Randle as Game 2 was a tough outcome for him. This was important as Finch left Randle on the bench in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
After Game 2, Randle attracted a lot of negative attention for his six-point performance. It was a rough night for him and the Timberwolves, but he was bowing his head. He confirmed he worked so hard to bounce back. He did it while inspiring the rest of the team.
Coach Finch was one of the happiest people for Randle, as he knew what performance meant to him. Randle was undoubtedly the Timberwolves’ most consistent player during the 2025 playoffs, so it was a one-off playoff. Game 3 was similar to what people saw from Randle this postseason.
“Julious was great. He and I chatted this morning, I said, ‘Hey, you have one sub-game in the playoffs so far.
“The other day (it wasn’t working).” There was nothing particularly about his game. We were down, we tried to change the colour of the game,” Finch said after Game 3.
“He got it. I think that’s where our team matured. In Game 1, in Game 2, in Game 2, he was. We couldn’t play them all. Of course, he wanted to play.
“I just thought I’d get through it, and he fully understood it. I was extremely proud of his reaction today.”
Randle found it difficult to see the team from the bench in Game 2. But he knew Finch was doing the right thing. The head coach did what he thought was right and was called by Charles Barkley.
It was huge for Randle as he always wants his team to succeed. He doesn’t want his ego to get in the way because there’s nothing more important than victory. The two All-NBA forwards worked well in Game 3 and chipped in with another impressive postseason performance.
“It’s all about winning. As a competitor, you don’t want your emotions to surpass what’s best for the team. I want to play, but it’s all about the team. I wanted to make sure that you came in the same way, either a good day or a bad day,” Randle said after Game 3.
“Being an expert and knowing that it’s about the team. That’s difficult. Sometimes you could check your ego at the door. That’s beneficial to me. When you do that, I can play like tonight.”
The Timberwolves are happy with the victory in Game 3, but they know they still have a monumental game 4. It’s a difficult test to compete against the Thunder, but you’re ready to prove you’ve got the wrong doubt.