Julius Randle Bounces Back In Game 3 With 24-Point Performance

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a big question going into Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. How was Julius Randle going to bounce back? The Minnesota veteran was benched in the fourth quarter after scoring just 6 points and going 2-of-11 from the field. Minnesota needed a bounce-back performance, and they got that and some. 

Julius Randle Showed His Veteran Presence 

Back in Minnesota, Randle went off for 24 points. The Timberwolves will always have a chance when Randle and Anthony Edwards are both on their game. Randle faced great scrutiny after his benching and returned with a performance that showed he wasn’t phased. His final line was 24 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, and a +38 rating on the court. 

Although Julius Randle had a really bad Game 2, he has been one of Minnesota’s most consistent performers throughout the playoffs. Randle has recorded 20 or more points in every game this postseason except for three. It also helped that he had a 9-of-15 FG mark in the game last night.

The Ability To Have a Short Memory Is Essential

The NBA Playoffs are all about having a short memory and forgetting when a bad performance arises. If you don’t have that, it’s going to be hard for you to succeed. That’s what Julius Randle did last night, and the chemistry with Edwards was there from the beginning. 

When asked in an ESPN interview how they could repeat the type of defensive performance, Randle said ” Defense you can repeat every night. That’s who we are, and that’s how we played all year. That’s our identity defensively, and offensively it’s just about sharing the ball.” Although he might not be the star of the team, Randle is one of the leaders. He knows what works and what doesn’t. 

The Minnesota Crowd was electric 

How could the players not get behind that Minnesota crowd? They were electric! Oklahoma City never had an answer as the Wolves came out and attacked from the opening tip-off. The Timberwolves must build on the momentum of this game and focus on Game 4. Game 4 is about as much of a must-win as Game 3 was. The Timberwolves do not want to head to OKC down 3-1 in the series. 

The veteran leadership of Julius Randle is a big plus for Minnesota, so much so that he needs to have another performance like last night. In terms of leadership on the team, he is in the conversation with Edwards.