Julius Randle had a tough performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Minnesota Timberwolves star forward had an uncharacteristically quiet game on Sunday night. He had 18 points in the game, but he was quiet everywhere else, too. He recorded 15 points, and what's even more worrying is that he only had three boards and three assists.
For a player who serves as the center of attack and the lead defender, this is an unacceptable performance. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has an explanation for why Randle's play was so bad today.
"Finch said Julius Randle was "pretty seriously screwed" tonight," John Krawczynski reported on X. "Only 3 boards and 3 assists from him."
Randle was -20 in his 31 minutes of action against the 76ers, and made only one of his five three-point attempts. The former All-Star was largely ineffective for the Timberwolves in the game, as they struggled to gain momentum. Minnesota lost to Philadelphia 135–108, despite Joel Embiid missing the game for the 76ers and star guard Anthony Edwards scoring 28 points.
The Timberwolves were also playing with key players. Star center Rudy Gobert was out against the 76ers with a suspension after committing his seventh flagrant foul a few days earlier. Meanwhile, Sixth Man of the Year contender Naz Reid is also out with injury. Philadelphia's physicality forced the shorthanded Wolves into 21 turnovers, Randle forced two while Edwards forced seven.
"They were good physically, they're good defensively, they're super hands-on, they're active in gaps," Finch said. "We struggled in the game. We got into traffic, we didn't get the ball early. All those things that happen when you play in a rush."
The Wolves' record is now 35-23. Despite the loss, losses to the remaining Western Conference contenders meant the Timberwolves were still within striking distance of the third seed and still in control of the sixth seed in the conference.
