When it was revealed that Anthony Edwards would miss numerous games due to a knee injury, everyone expected the worst from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On Tuesday night, the team had a massive game against the Phoenix Suns with major implications. Minnesota is currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference and is only three games ahead of the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns. Just a few slip-ups, and the Timberwolves could find themselves in a play-in tournament spot very quickly. 

Prior to beating the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the Timberwolves had lost four out of their last five games.

Randle was the leader that the Timberwolves needed him to be against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. He put up 32 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists on 10/17 shooting from the field. When it came to what created that success, Randle credited one major thing - playing at his own pace.

"I mean, that's what's going to lead to my advantage, obviously," Randle said. "They're going to get away with a lot more because they're smaller, but you know the biggest thing for me is just playing at my own pace and get to where I want to get to."

Randle went on to add that whether or not Anthony Edwards is playing, he needs to make sure that he's playing aggressively. However, playing aggressively isn't enough; it's also about making sure that Randle gets to his spots properly.

"I think just me playing at my pace, getting to where I want to on the floor, getting to my spots," Randle added. "I don't think anybody can really spot me from getting to my spots. It's really just that."

While Randle led the way against the Phoenix Suns, the Timberwolves would not have won the game without the X-factor performance of Bones Hyland off the bench.

Off the bench, Hyland put up 22 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds on 8/14 shooting, in only 29 minutes.

As a leader, Randle made sure to immediately credit Hyland for his performance and being a catalyst for the turnaround.

"Speaking of that turnaround, he was a big part of that. He came in with a lot of energy, hit a couple of threes," Randle said. "I think he had like a quick 11 points and really just kind of flipped the game. And then we were kind of even from there."

It wasn't just the scoring that Randle was impressed with; it was also Hyland's ability to compete defensively and make sure the team stayed locked in.

"He played fantastic all night, gave great energy, competed his butt off on the defensive end and really ran the offense," Randle added.

Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves is a back-to-back against the Utah Jazz. For all the goodwill the team provided in beating the Phoenix Suns, all of that gets erased if they lose to a lowly Jazz team on Wednesday night.