Minneapolis – Minneapolis (AP) – Julius Randle He lowered his head to drive to the lane with a determination that was missing in the last game, musculating its 9 -inch frame and 255 pounds against the thin star of Oklahoma City Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before lifting and draining a 10 -foot foot.
With Minnesota’s leadership in 34 points at the end of the third quarter, the crowd of the target center was roaring with a sustained intensity from beginning to end on Saturday night.
After the Thunder called waiting time, Randle paved to Midcurt, raised his arms and repeatedly shouted the frantic fans: “Now we are at home!”
The Timberwolves made a great entry in the finals of the West Conference, even if their 143-101 victory In game 3 It was a late arrival.
Randle’s performance was the epitome of the answer.
“Local energy made me go today,” said Randle, who had 24 points in 9 of 15 shots with four rebounds, three assists and without ball losses. “He gave me a lot of juice. I just wanted to feed on that energy. I know our team feeds. I was having fun around.”
After averaging 24 points in 52% shots in the 11 games of these NBA playoffs For Minnesota, Randle disappeared In game 2 With six points in 2 of 11 shots with four ball losses. With Oklahoma City in total control, coach Chris Finch kept him in the bank throughout the last quarter.
Randle was disappointed by the decision, to be sure, but has a relationship too strong with Finch, dating from the 2018-19 season with New Orleans when Finch was an assistant, and a large amount of the biggest image to let any negative emotion cloud his behavior.
“Obviously, as a competitor, I want to play, but it’s about the team and I wanted to make sure that the same is a good day or if it’s a bad day,” Randle said. “I think it is important that my teammates see it. As difficult as it is sometimes, you have to check your ego at the door.”
Finch and Randle spoke in the morning shooting, but there was no tension to clean.
“I said: ‘Hey, man, you had a lower game in the playoffs so far. It simply turned out to be the other night. We are moving forward,'” said Finch.
Good advice of the chief coach, of course, but the star player really beat him.
Anthony Edwards, who caused the wolves with 30 points in 30 minutes before sitting for the last quarter with the game in his hand, was the first to approach Randle in Oklahoma City on Thursday night with an encouraging word.
“He said: ‘Brother, just shake that. As you’re fine. Don’t worry about that,” Randle said. “And as the flight progressed, I was able to start smiling and laugh again while we play the cards and all that. So it is very mature and is very in tune with the team, and as a team leader you need that.”
Randle rediscovered his aggression in game 3, and his fadeaway. Knocked down a feet foot and a 11 feet of 11 feet early, part of a rebirth of success that the wolves had in the painting in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs Before hitting the best defense of the Thunder League in the first two games in this series.
“We simply had to keep finding a better game within ourselves,” said Finch. “We had not really played our best basketball, all the credit for them sometimes, for affecting that. I think we could only put everything, and we have to do it again.”
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