The No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves are set to face off against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, beginning with Game 1 at the Paycom Center on Tuesday night.
The Timberwolves are making their second consecutive Western Conference finals appearance, beating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in Round 1 and Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in Round 2.
Minnesota's postseason run so far has featured some excellent play from veteran forward Julius Randle. In fact, his production through the Timberwolves' first 10 playoff games has been historic.
"In 10 playoff games, Julius Randle is averaging 23.9 PPG on 50.9 FG%, 5.9 RPG and 5.9 APG," the Timberwolves wrote in an announcement on X. "In the past 60 years, he joins LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Willie Anderson and Walter Davis to average 20.0+ PPG/50.0+ FG%/5.0+ RPG/5.0+ APG in their first 10 playoff games with a team."
Randle landed in Minnesota as part of the blockbuster Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the New York Knicks before the 2024-25 NBA season. Through 69 regular-season games in his first campaign with the Timberwolves, the three-time All-Star averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
As a playoff riser, Randle has been an excellent compliment alongside superstar shooting guard Anthony Edwards — who's averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game so far this postseason.
Jimmy Butler
May 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) drives to the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) plays defense in the second half during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
© Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
"It's incredible, he never has a bad day. He never comes in moody or not wanting to talk or wanting to work. He always puts in a lot of effort, he does a lot of talking and communicating," Randle said of Edwards before the Western Conference finals. "He’s just Ant, you guys see him, that’s who he is every single day, he doesn’t change."
Game 1 will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.