The Minnesota Timberwolves have defeated the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, 120-117, thanks to an incredible game-winner from Julius Randle, who sank a wide-open three with no time left on the clock. Likewise, Randle also paced the team with 35 points, while the team’s young star Anthony Edwards had 24. As the Timberwolves’ new trade acquisition Randle builds chemistry with Edwards, four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert called himself out for what he felt like a subpar performance against the Suns.
“Too many times when I feel like I let the team down a little bit, whether it’s one [quarter] or a few [minutes],” Gobert said, via Wolves reporter Jon Krawczynski on X, formerly Twitter. “I can’t have that if we want to be great as a team. If we want to be a championship team, every [minute] I’m on the floor, I have to be the best in the world at what I do.”
Timberwolves star calls out own performance
Against the Suns, Rudy Gobert had a respectable performance for the Timberwolves, scoring 11 points and grabbing ten rebounds while swatting away four shots.
Still, the Frenchman may have called himself out for his role in the team allowing Devin Booker to torch them for 44 points and building a 16-point lead. However, Minnesota rallied back and completed an epic comeback with a buzzer-beating three from their new guy.
Entering Sunday’s game, the Wolves had won an overtime thriller against the Kings, led by Anthony Edwards’ 36 points.
However, they had also lost two straight games against the rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers, where they generally looked listless and far from the contending team that reached the Western Conference Finals last season.
A turnaround?
Now, though, this win may trigger a turnaround for the 8-6 Timberwolves, a statement win against another playoff team, though without the injured Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
“Really the fun part is just seeing all my teammates celebrate,” Randle said after the win, via Fox 9 Minneapolis. “That’s just how I felt from Day 1, everybody was just all-in together. A very connected group, and we all celebrate each other’s success. For me that was the coolest part.”
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Asked about what happened during the final play, Randle said he knew he was going to get his shot off.
“We just knew they were going to be switching,” he said. “The play was for Ant to curl and see if he can get something going at the rim. If not, I’ll step back. I knew [Josh Okogie] couldn’t contest it because he fell, so I just needed to take my time and hit the shot. I shoot that shot 1,000 times.”
After Randle made the shot, the entire squad, led by Ant and Conley, ran toward him to celebrate the victory.
Randle and Donte DiVincenzo may have needed a few games to gel with the team, since they don’t fill the same roles as new Knick Karl-Anthony Towns, and this win may have meant that they finally figured some things out.
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