The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to even things up with a dominant wire-to-wire 117-93 win on Thursday night at home against the Golden State Warriors. However, the heroes for the T-Wolves were somewhat surprising in that Game 2 triumph.
Anthony Edwards continued to underwhelm in this series with just 20 points on 13 shots. In his stead, Jaden McDaniels continued to step up with 16 points and elite defense while Nickeil Alexander-Walker exploded for 20 off the bench.
The real star of the night, however, was Julius Randle. After disappointing playoff performances with the New York Knicks in seasons past, he has really impressed during this time around. He scored a game-high 24 in Game 2 on 10-for-17 shooting, but he credited his performance to a couple of guys that won't show up on the box score.
Julius Randle credits veteran leadership for improved play
It wasn't just Game 2 where Julius Randle stepped up. He's been doing it all postseason. He's upped his scoring average from 18.7 in the regular season to 22.1 during these playoffs. He's also boosted his passing numbers from 4.7 dimes a game to 5.6 and has seen his free throw percentage skyrocket from about 81 percent to 89 percent.
He'll take some credit for his improved play, but not all of it. When he was asked about the impact of veterans Mike Conley (17 minutes) and Joe Ingles (DNP) Randle was beaming as he gave them their flowers—but not without playing a little joke on the elder statesmen first.
"To be 50 years and still come out and defend... (Laughs) and play with the effort that he does. I've talked all year about the leader that he is for our team, how he keeps us balanced. Him, Joe Ingles. Guys that—it might not show up in the box sheet ... but who he is for our team as a veteran, how he's able to pull me to the side in a moment when I’m frustrated in the 3rd quarter and keep me level headed."
“To be 50 years old and still come out and defend and play with the effort that he does…
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 9, 2025
He’s able to pull me to the side in a moment when I’m frustrated in the 3rd quarter and keep me level headed…
Those guys are huge for us”
- Julius Randle on Mike Conley + Joe Ingles pic.twitter.com/n15jOxTC0y
Mike Conley, who turns 38 this year, is still in the starting lineup, but he's averaged just 22.5 minutes a game in these playoffs as players like Donte DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker have overtaken him in the rotation.
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With 100 games of playoff experience under his belt, however, Conley's voice remains crucial. Same goes for Ingles—who's also turning 38 later this year—and his 57 games of playoff experience.
Whatever they're doing, it's working. Especially with Randle. The big man is putting up playoff career-highs across the board, and with Anthony Edwards floundering somewhat here lately, they'll need every bit of those Randle career-highs to make another deep playoff run.
They'll look to take control of the series with another win in Game 3 against the Warriors in Golden State on Saturday night.
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