Julius Randle discusses his slump-busting performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, losing 116-103 in the home of the defending champions.
This was the fourth loss in five games for the Timberwolves as they try to keep pace in a tight Western Conference.
While it wasn't the cleanest performance for Minnesota as they turned the ball over 25 times and gave up 15 offensive rebounds, there was a major positive.
Julius Randle managed to break out of his slump with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and one block. He shot 61% from the field and 3-5 from beyond the arc. He also had just one turnover.
Randle Discusses His Performance
Speaking after the game, Randle was asked how he felt during the game as he got back into rhythm after some rough outings.
"Good. Just being decisive. Playing within the flow," he said.
Randle missed his first shot of the game, a 12-foot jumper, and didn't have a great first quarter overall, going just 1-5 from the field.
He found his rhythm in the second quarter, going 5-7 from the field, knocking down a three, and adding two rebounds and two assists. He kept up his scoring in the third quarter, shooting 4-5 from the field and 1-1 from three.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch made it a point that he wanted to get Randle more involved to get him going.
Asked if that helped his confidence, Randle replied, "Absolutely. Just being aggressive. Making the right plays. I can feel it. He was calling my number a lot coming out of the timeout."
Randle noted that good things happen when you make shots and there is an energy boost from seeing the ball going in.
Recent Performances
Prior to Sunday, Randle had scored over 18 points just once since the All-Star break. He went into the break with a 41 point outing against the Portland Trail Blazers, but has struggled since the week off.
Since the break, Randle was averaging 13.7 points on 39% shooting from the field and an awful 15% from three in eleven games before taking the floor against the Thunder.
The Wolves as a whole have struggled to find consistency for the majority of the season, but certainly since the break where they are now 7-5.
If Minnesota hopes to improve their playoff positioning in the final month, they'll need Randle to return to form and be the second star he's grown to be over the years.