There was a rather innocuous sequence in the early stages of Game 3 between the Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at Target Center.
It was mishap masked and overshadowed by the Timberwolves looking more like some washed up hoopers struggling at the local Lifetime Fitness rather than a group trying to reach the Western Conference Finals for the third straight season. They shot 0-for-12 from the floor before finally making their first basket.
In hindsight, Julius Randle turning down a potential drive to the rim and instead lobbing a grenade to Rudy Gobert near the end of the shot clock was a harbinger of the rest of his night.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to say Randle struggled. He was a disaster in the Timberwolves’ 115-108 loss to the Spurs.
So good for the Timberwolves as they advanced to the Western Conference Finals last season — 21.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 15 games — Randle is struggling at the worst possible time for the Timberwolves this season.
After proudly playing the role of the bully in the Game 1 win, he took a noticeable step back in the Game 2 loss.
It was even worse in the Game 3 loss.
It would be an understatement to say Randle looked completely out of sorts. He lacked confidence while trying to break the paint from the opening tipoff. The massive frame and comically long wingspan of Victor Wembanyama seemed to intimidate Randle, who spent most possessions either deferring to his teammates or forcing his own shot.
Not ideal considering Randle has proven to be at his best when he’s playing with swagger and using his size and strength to his advantage.
That edge was missing in Game 3. He fought himself on offense with 12 points while shooting 3 of 12 from the floor. He wasn’t much better on defense, lacking the consistency and intensity required to help string together stops.
He also got himself into foul trouble that, in turn, forced head coach Chris Finch to switch up his rotation and go away from a small ball lineup that was having some success.
Anthony Edwards was terrific. He shook off a lingering knee injury and went for 32 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. That probably would have been enough for the Timberwolves to walk away with a win had they gotten more from Randle.
Jaden McDaniels was even worse than Randle, shooting 5 for 22 from the floor, but he still made an impact on the defensive end, matching up with the primary ball handler nearly every time up the court.
Meanwhile, Randle either directly hurt the Timberwolves, or directly helped the Spurs, with loud mistakes, particularly in the final frame.
He settled for a shot from long range rather than attacking the bucket, missed a layup on a fastbreak that would have cut into the deficit, was caught ball watching while allowing Dylan Harper to get an easy basket, and grabbed De’Aaron Fox on a drive to the hoop to gift him a pair of free throws.
It was too much for the Timberwolves to overcome down the stretch.
After slowly walking off the court following the loss, Randle quickly got changed and left before reporters had a chance to enter the locker room. Maybe he was in a rush to get home and go to sleep so he could try to move on as soon as possible.
The good news for Randle is there is a chance for atonement. He must look himself in the mirror and come back better than ever in Game 4. If he doesn’t figure it out, the Timberwolves have no chance against the Spurs.
