It was a good day if you were a Timberwolves fan. Julius Randle messed around and had a triple-double in a pivotal Game 3 win in the Western Conference Semifinals. It was a back-and-forth contest between two hard-fought teams, but Minnesota pulled ahead of Golden State in the final few minutes of the game after Draymond Green fouled out.
Randle had 24 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the win, as he was a dominant force from the opening tip. He is now the only player in Timberwolves franchise history to record back-to-back double-digit assist games in the playoffs. Reminder, he’s a power forward.
After the game, Timberwolves head coach said of the former Wildcat, “He’s playing with so much force and determination. He’s going out there early and aggressive. — When it’s really sticky on the perimeter, like they’re holding all the time everywhere and they’re really handsy, we play through him.”
The Warriors were once again without Steph Curry, who will miss at least the next two games with a hamstring injury. With the Wolves now up 2-1, the teams will stay in the Bay Area for Game 4 on Monday.
Karl-Anthony Towns may or may not have broken his finger in Game 3 loss
The man who was traded for Julius Randle in the offseason did not have as fair as well on Saturday night. Karl-Anthony Towns posted 21 points and 15 rebounds, but the Knicks did not have a third-straight comeback win in their system. As with the first two games of the series, the Celtics took a commanding lead in the first half, but unlike the previous contests, Boston maintained their healthy lead and cruised to a 115-93 win.
Despite his 21/15 stat line, KAT has had better games on the offensive side of the floor. He did most of his damage from the free-throw line because he shot just 5-18 from the field, including 1-5 from deep. However, there may have been a good reason for his off-shooting night.
Towns injured a finger on his left hand and appeared to say in the immediate aftermath of the incident, “I broke it.” However, afterwards, he was very hush-hush about his condition, declining to admit whether or not he even got an X-ray: “It is what it is. I’m gonna keep finding ways to play, so I ain’t tripping.”
The Knicks, who were without Randle due to injury in the playoffs last season, cannot afford to lose the former No. 1 overall pick. I’m no basketball savant, but getting down by 20 points every game and relying on a remarkable comeback to win might not be the best strategy moving forward, especially without KAT.
Boston will try to even the series in Game 4 in Madison Square Garden on Monday.
BBNBA Statistics for 5/10/2025
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | P/M | MIN |
| Julius Randle (MIN) | 102-97 W vs. GSW | 24 | 10-23 (1-6) | 10 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 4 | +14 | 40 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK) | 93-115 L vs. BOS | 21 | 5-18 (1-5) | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -19 | 36 |
| Rob Dillingham (MIN) | 102-97 W vs. GSW | DNP-Ankle | ||||||||
| Kevin Knox (GSW) | 97-102 L vs. MIN | DNP-CD |
Today in the NBA Playoffs
Western Conference Semifinals | Game 4 | DEN leads 2-1
3:30 (ABC) | Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace) @ Nuggets (Murray)
Eastern Conference Semifinals | Game 2 | IND leads 2-1
8:00 (TNT) | Cavaliers @ Pacers (Jackson: out)
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