Julius Randle voiced his opinion that Minnesota let things spiral in their Sunday loss to Charlotte.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had the Charlotte Hornets right where they wanted them at halftime Sunday night. They led 60-55 at Target Center, had controlled most of the first half, and looked like the more composed team heading into the break. Then the third quarter happened, and it all fell apart.
Charlotte outscored Minnesota in the third, flipped the game on its head, and never looked back. The final score was 122-108, a result that stings not just because of the loss itself, but because of how preventable it was.
Julius Randle put it plainly when it was over.
"I think our spirit was up, we started the game extremely well, first half we played well," Randle said. "We just let things spiral. Like, when one or two things go bad to start the third quarter or whatever, it kind of spiraled and snowballed, and we never gained back momentum. So we gotta figure out a way to stop the bleeding early."
Apr 5, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) shoots as Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) defends in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn ImagesA Second-Half Collapse That Can't Become a Habit
Randle's diagnosis was accurate. The Timberwolves weren't outplayed for 48 minutes, they were outplayed for about 20 of them, and that was enough. Minnesota held a five-point lead at the break, and Bones Hyland had even hit a buzzer-beating three to close the half. The momentum was there, the Wolves just couldn't hold onto it.
Miles Bridges and the Hornets erupted in the third quarter, and Minnesota had no answer. Charlotte's 48.9% shooting from the floor told the story of a team that was getting clean looks while the Timberwolves were scrambling to find their footing. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, it became a hard hole to dig out of.
LaMelo Ball finished with 35 points on 7-of-14 shooting from three, his league-leading eighth game this season with at least seven made threes. Bridges added 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Hornets were clicking on all cylinders, and Minnesota's defense couldn't keep up.
Seeding Implications Piling Up
This is now four losses in the last five games for Minnesota, and the timing couldn't be worse. The Timberwolves entered the night with a real shot at keeping the dream of a top-four seed in the West alive, and securing home-court advantage in the first round. Now, that dream is slipping away.
Anthony Edwards was listed as questionable heading into Sunday with inflammation in his right knee, and his status going forward will be one of the most important storylines of the final week of the regular season.
Minnesota simply isn't the same team without him, and the McDaniels' absence has already taken a significant chunk out of their defensive identity.
The Wolves visit Indiana on Tuesday. They don't have much time to figure things out before the playoffs arrive.