Minnesota

Timberwolves

After an excellent performance in Game 1 on Tuesday, Randle was poor on Thursday. While the rebounds and assists may provide solace, he could not find his groove offensively. Needing a spark, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch decided to go in a different direction, with Randle not playing at all during the fourth quarter. He’ll look to bounce back when the Timberwolves host Game 3 on Saturday night.

With Naz Reid (10/8/0/1/2) and Donte DiVincenzo (8/3/3 with two three-pointers) both shooting 3-of-8 from the field, Alexander-Walker did most of the heavy lifting for the Timberwolves’ reserves in Game 2. The 17 points are the most he’s scored in a game since Game 2 of the second round, when he dropped 20 on the Warriors. Nights like Thursday have not been the norm for Alexander-Walker, so Minnesota will need more from Reid and DiVincenzo to win this series. With the action shifting to Minneapolis, the Timberwolves hope the belief that reserves play better at home rings true.

McDaniels has taken on the unenviable task of defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and his emotions got the best of him late in Game 2. The Timberwolves forward was whistled for a flagrant foul after shoving SGA to the floor, but that does not tell the whole story of McDaniels’ night. After scoring seven points in the series opener, he more than tripled that number on Thursday, shooting over 50 percent from the field. McDaniels can undoubtedly be productive as a scorer, but expecting 20-plus points per night while also having to defend a player of Gilgeous-Alexander’s caliber is a lot to ask. Game 3 is on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Edwards’ offensive production picked up after he scored 18 points in Game 1, but the perimeter shooting remains troublesome. Having shot 3-of-8 from three in Game 1, he was even worse on Thursday, making just one of his nine attempts. Edwards shot 11-of-17 from two and got 10 free throw attempts, boosting the final point total, and he did not commit a turnover. Also, Edwards made history in Game 2, passing Kevin Garnett to become the leading postseason point scorer in franchise history. Given Oklahoma City’s depth and talent, Ant-Man will need his supporting cast to step up in Saturday’s Game 3 after many failed to do so on Thursday.

Edwards briefly went to the locker room in the first half to tend to an ankle injury that’s bothered him since the first round series against the Lakers. The story of this game, though, was the 23-year-old shooting guard’s inability to stop the Thunder’s runs in the second half. Edwards was a game-worst -23 in 37 minutes and only attempted one field goal in the fourth quarter. He’ll need to have better games than this if the Timberwolves are going to make this a series.

Randle kept the Timberwolves afloat in the first half. Anthony Edwards headed to the locker room with an ankle injury in the first half, but Randle made five three-pointers and the Timberwolves were clinging to a four-point lead at halftime. That lead wasn’t nearly enough to withstand how the Thunder outplayed the Timberwolves in the second half, but ultimately Minnesota has to be satisfied with another quality performance from Randle in these playoffs.

Conley has been a consistent starter for most of the season, but he hasn’t been productive in the box score, especially during the postseason. However, he changed that on Wednesday. He set new highs for points, rebounds, assists and three-pointers during these playoffs as Minnesota closed out their series with Golden State to return to the Western Conference Finals. Conley will continue to start, but it’s unlikely that he replicates this production in the next round.

The turnovers weren’t pretty, but everything else went right for Edwards in Game 5 as Minnesota completed their second straight gentlemen’s sweep. He didn’t score 30 points, which he had done in the two games in Golden State, but Edwards did dish out a new playoff career high for assists in a new game, which also matches his career high for dimes in the regular season. This was a fantastic performance for Edwards, even if he didn’t dominate as a scorer. He’ll need to continue to play at a high level in the Western Conference Finals, whether it is against Oklahoma City or Denver.

Randle played at a high level in the first round, but he was dominant in the gentlemen’s sweep of the Warriors. He struggled in Game 1, which Minnesota dropped, but during the final four games of the series, Randle averaged 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists, one steal and two triples while making 55.7 percent of his shots. Turnovers were still an issue, but they didn’t prevent the Timberwolves for winning four straight games. They’ll now await the winner of the Thunder-Nuggets series, and if Randle continues to play like this, Minnesota will have a chance to make the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Randle has now had at least 24 points in each of the last three games in this series and the Timberwolves have won all three of those games. Minnesota is on the brink of knocking out the Warriors on their way to the Western Conference finals and Randle has been a big part of their success. The Timberwolves will look to advance at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.