Randle spoke after Minnesota's defeat in Game 5, and he knows that this was a case of the Wolves beating themselves.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a chance to close it out, but the Denver Nuggets avoided elimination Monday night with a 125-113 win over the Timberwolves, cutting Minnesota's series lead to 3-2.
The Wolves coughed up 25 turnovers that Denver converted into 35 points, and nine of those turnovers came in the first quarter alone. By the time Minnesota tried to clean it up, the hole was too deep. Julius Randle didn't sugarcoat it postgame.
"I think we were just all trying to make plays and being a little bit too much of us just trying to do it on our own," Randle said. "They're not playing any differently than they played all series. We just got to continue to make the right plays, the easy plays. I'll take accountability for that. Five turnovers for me is too much."
That's the right read. Denver didn't change anything, Minnesota just handed them the game.
Apr 27, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) controls the ball in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesJokic Woke Up at the Wrong Time
The bad news for the Wolves is that their turnovers coincided with Nikola Jokic snapping out of a prolonged slump. Jokic finished with 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds, his 23rd career playoff triple-double, third on the all-time list behind Magic Johnson and LeBron James.
He'd been held to 34% shooting from the field across Games 2-4. Monday he looked like himself again, operating quickly from the high post and carving up a shorthanded Minnesota defense.
Spencer Jones, starting in place of the injured Aaron Gordon, scored a playoff career-high 20 points and keyed a third-quarter run that blew the game open. Jamal Murray added 24. It was the most complete Denver performance of the series by a wide margin. But the Timberwolves weren't just dealing with their own mistakes.
They were also without Anthony Edwards, who has a hyperextended left knee and is considered week-to-week, and Donte DiVincenzo, who ruptured his Achilles in Game 4 and underwent surgery on Monday. Ayo Dosunmu added 18 points but couldn't replicate his Game 4 heroics. Rudy Gobert was neutralized entirely.
Still Minnesota's Series to Win
Despite everything, the Wolves still hold a 3-2 lead heading back home to Minneapolis for Game 6 Thursday night. Randle led Minnesota with 27 points and kept his composure postgame despite the ugly loss.
"They're a championship team, they have championship DNA," he said. "We get to go back to Minnesota and have a chance to close it out."
Only 13 teams in NBA history have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series, Denver did it twice in the 2020 bubble. The Nuggets know it's possible, but closing it out at home in Game 6, with a roster this banged up, is still squarely in Minnesota's hands. They just can't beat themselves again.