Finch details the forward's offensive takeover and his impact.
The Minnesota Timberwolves crushed the Portland Trail Blazers 133-109 on Wednesday night in Minneapolis, and Julius Randle was the reason why.
The veteran forward poured in a season-high 41 points on 14-of-24 shooting and added seven rebounds, putting the Target Center crowd on its feet with a windmill dunk that capped off a dominant night.
After the game, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch spoke about what he saw from his star forward and did not hold back on how impressed he was with Randle's performance.
"He's comin' alive, you know, and the other day he set tone with his playmaking," Finch said.
Finch was referring to Monday's 138-116 blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks, where Randle recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The coach then pointed to how Randle carried that same energy into Wednesday's matchup but shifted into a different gear when the scoring opportunities were there.
"I thought he did a really good job with that for the most part tonight; early on just tryna get others involved, and then when he had a matchup he was really aggressive and played with a ton of force," Finch said.
"And, you know, they didn't really have a lot of answers for that."
Portland Had No Response
Finch was right.
The Blazers simply could not slow Randle down, especially in the second half when Minnesota pulled away with a 16-2 run in the third quarter that blew the game wide open.
Randle shot 10-of-11 from the free throw line and knocked down three triples, showing off the full range of his offensive game that has made him such an important piece next to Anthony Edwards.
The 41-point outburst was Randle's first 40-point game since 2023 and topped his previous season-high of 39 points, which he set back on January 16 against Houston.
It was also a timely response after a quiet stretch of February scoring, where Randle had topped 20 points just once in his previous five games.
The effort from Randle came right on the heels of a rough stretch where the Wolves lost three of four, including a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers just days earlier.
What It Means for Minnesota
The win pushed the Timberwolves to 34-22 on the season, good for fifth in the Western Conference as they head into the All-Star break on a two-game winning streak.
Randle is averaging 22.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game this season, and when he plays like he did Wednesday night, this team looks like a real threat in the West.
Jaden McDaniels chipped in 21 points of his own, Rudy Gobert added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Edwards finished with 14 points despite battling an illness leading up to the game.
The Blazers, who fell to 26-29 on the season, were hurt by 25 turnovers and never led in the contest.
Heading Into the Break
Minnesota now gets some time off before hosting the Dallas Mavericks on February 20, and the timing could not be better.
The back-to-back blowout wins give this group some much-needed momentum after a shaky stretch that had fans wondering which version of the Timberwolves was going to show up down the stretch.
If Randle keeps playing with the kind of force Finch described, though, Minnesota is going to be a tough matchup for anyone.
The chemistry between Randle and Edwards has been growing all year, and nights like Wednesday are proof that when both guys are locked in, this roster has the talent to compete with anybody in the Western Conference.