The Minnesota Timberwolves were out for revenge on Thursday after taking a Game 1 loss at home in the Western Conference semifinals. Julius Randle led the redemption gauntlet. The former Wildcat came up just three boards shy of a triple-double, posting a monster stat line of 24 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds.
Randle led all players in both points and assists, but also became the first Timberwolf since Kevin Garnett to put up at least 20 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds in a playoff game. Granted, Minnesota hasn’t been in too many playoff games since KG ran that town, but impressive nonetheless. He also had the exclamation dunk to put the game to bed, a la Steph Curry.
Oh yeah, speaking of Curry, he didn’t play. He suffered a hamstring strain in Game 1, and the team ruled him out for Game 2. Likely longer. But who needs the greatest shooter on planet Earth to put up gaudy numbers when you have Julius Randle? Only two players are averaging 20/5/5 on 60 percent true shooting percentage in these playoffs: Stephen Curry and Julius Randle.
His teammates appreciate the effort, too. Anthony Edwards said of Randle after the game, “He’s an alpha male, he stands out. When he plays like that, we’re hard to beat.”
Keep proving the haters wrong, Julius.
The blowout also paved the way for nine minutes of action from Kevin Knox. The former top-10 draft pick who keeps hanging around in the NBA scored two points and three rebounds in garbage time. Unfortunately, Rob Dillingham remained out with an ankle injury.
BBNBA Statistics for 5/8/2025
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | P/M | MIN |
| Julius Randle (MIN) | 117-93 W vs. GSW | 24 | 10-17 (1-4) | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +17 | 33 |
| Kevin Knox (GSW) | 93-117 L at MIN | 3 | 1-3 (0-1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -6 | 9 |
| Rob Dillingham (MIN) | 117-93 W vs. GSW | DNP-Ankle |
Tonight in the NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference Semifinals | Game 3 | IND leads 2-0
7:30 (ESPN) | Cavaliers @ Pacers
Western Conference Semifinals | Game 3 | Series tied 1-1
10:00 (ESPN) | Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace) @ Nuggets (Murray)
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