After nailing a jumper to help the Minnesota Timberwolves stretch their lead to 38 points — yes, 38 points — Julius Randle delivered a message loud and clear while pointing at the hardwood beneath his feet.
“We home now!” Randle shouted at the top of his lungs. “We home now!”
The response from the 19,112 fans in attendance was deafening, like an orchestra rising to a crescendo for its conductor.
It felt like an important moment in the Western Conference Finals.
No longer did the Oklahoma City Thunder look like a surefire bet to reach the NBA Finals.
All of a sudden, the Timberwolves had some life.
“The crowd had me going,” Randle said. “It gave me a lot of juice. I just wanted to feed off of that energy. I was just having fun out there.”
Let’s just say the vibes were immaculate on Saturday night at Target Center as the Timberwolves rolled to a 143-101 win over the Thunder.
After falling behind 2-0 in the series on the road, and looking vastly overmatched in the process, the Timberwolves returned home and finally punched back, putting together a flurry that staggered the Thunder for the first time in the series.
As he reflected on the performance from his players, Chris Finch credited them for having the right approach, which is something the Timberwolves have struggled with against the Thunder to this point.
“We wanted to be the aggressor in everything,” Finch said. “We felt most of the series we’ve been on our heels.”
The catalyst was none other than Anthony Edwards. He set the tone for the Timberwolves with 16 points in the opening frame, outscoring the Thunder all by himself, and looking every bit the superstar that he is. He finished with 30 points to lead all scorers while playing with a tenacity on both ends of the floor that proved to be infectious.
Other key contributors for the Timberwolves included Randle, who responded the right way after getting benched the last time out, Jaden McDaniels, who locked up defensively like he always does, and Terrence Shannon Jr., a pleasant surprise who provided a spark off the bench.
There also were signs of life from Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo, both of whom look like they might be busting out of shooting slumps.
All of it added up to the Timberwolves dominating the Thunder — an NBA-best 68-14 this season and featuring newly crowned league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — from start to finish.
Not that the final score means anything beyond the 48 minutes that are already in the record books.
They can’t be satisfied. There’s still work to be done. That wasn’t lost on the Timberwolves as every player in the locker room seemed to carry himself with an understanding that the job is not finished.
Not by a long shot.
“It’s going to be tough,” Edwards said.
Tough? Yes. Impossible? No.
The heavyweight bout is back on, and the Timberwolves are very much in the fight.
“We’ve got to go and do it again and play even better,” Randle said. “We know they’re going to bring it.”
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