Do-it-all Randle's triple-double fuels Wolves' win

SAN FRANCISCO -- After his triple-double helped springiness the Minnesota Timberwolves a 2-1 bid pb successful the Western Conference semifinals with a 102-97 triumph implicit the Golden State Warriors connected Saturday night, a Wolves staffer waited by the postgame podium to springiness thing to Julius Randle: the crippled ball.

Randle, who finished with 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, became conscionable the 2nd subordinate successful Minnesota playoff past to grounds a triple-double, joining Kevin Garnett. By pursuing up his 24-point, 11-assist show successful Game 2 with a akin output connected Saturday, Randle besides became the archetypal subordinate successful franchise past with aggregate 20-point, 10-assist games successful a azygous postseason, according to ESPN Research.

"I consciousness similar I conscionable got a batch of antithetic tools, you cognize what I mean?" Randle said. "It's truly astir utilizing my caput and taking what the defence gives me. If they don't double-team me, score. If they double-team me, find my guys."

Randle's organisation skills were connected afloat show successful the 4th quarter, arsenic helium collected 5 of his assists and Minnesota outscored Golden State 33-24.

An 11-year veteran, helium was peculiarly effectual with his decision-making successful crunch clip to support the crippled retired of the Warriors' reach. He recovered Jaden McDaniels with a plaything walk to acceptable up a helping 3-pointer to treble the Wolves' pb from 3 to six with 3:20 remaining; helium dumped it disconnected to a trailing Rudy Gobert for a dunk positive an and-one escaped propulsion to assistance Minnesota's cushion from 4 to 7 with 2:05 to go; and helium passed to Anthony Edwards for a country 3 with 1:19 near that enactment the Wolves up 7 again and yet deflated the location crowd.

"He was incredible, man. Finding everybody connected cuts. Finding the unfastened feline clip aft time. Pushing the pace," Edwards said of Randle aft scoring 28 of his game-high 36 points successful the 2nd half. "That's what we asked of him, and he's been doing it astatine a precocious level. Can't inquire for thing better. He's making the crippled a batch easier for me, truthful I admit having him here."

Added McDaniels, who was ascendant successful his ain close with 15 points connected discourtesy portion holding Warriors players to 2-for-12 shooting arsenic their superior defender: "They enactment the large dude connected him, he's excessively slow. They enactment the small feline connected him, he's excessively strong. So it's a hard occupation for the different squad to defender him."

It was a continuation of a beardown mates of months for the 30-year-old Randle, who was acquired successful a grooming campy commercialized with the New York Knicks, on with Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick, for the Wolves' erstwhile No. 1 pick, Karl-Anthony Towns.

"It's truly what's turned our play astir -- his playmaking, his decision-making, playing done connected antithetic spots of the floor," Minnesota manager Chris Finch said, crediting Randle for the Wolves' 17-4 adjacent to the regular play done their 6-2 tally done the playoffs frankincense far. "He gives america astir different constituent defender retired there. It's everything for us. It's been everything for our turnaround. It's everything for our team."

Randle besides was liable for 2 of the six fouls Draymond Green picked up successful the 2nd half, arsenic the erstwhile Defensive Player of the Year fouled retired for Golden State.

"Obviously he's 1 of the apical defenders successful the world," Jimmy Butler said aft scoring 33 points to pb the Warriors. "For definite the champion defender connected this squad. When he's out, it is conscionable different. You don't got cipher backmost determination that's quarterbacking the mode that helium does it, that tin power everything, and that gets each escaped shot and that tin rebound."

Randle's imprint connected the 4th fourth was indispensable with Butler and Jonathan Kuminga (30 points connected 11-for-18 shooting, six rebounds) keeping Golden State successful it astir of the night. If the Warriors looked shellshocked successful Game 2, playing for the archetypal clip since their prima Stephen Curry was ruled retired indefinitely with a strained near hamstring, they looked similar a squad starting to fig things retired connected the alert connected Saturday.

"I felt bully astir the mode the crippled went tonight, we conscionable couldn't adjacent it out," Warriors manager Steve Kerr said. "Give them credit. They made each the plays successful the 4th and Randle and Edwards truly got going, and we conscionable couldn't rather flooded them erstwhile we got down. ... The [new] look [without Curry] looks good. We'll person immoderate adjustments to make. But I similar the matchup. I similar what we're doing."

And the Wolves similar the enactment Randle is bringing to their team.

"He's a grown man," Naz Reid said of Randle, "that's each I got to accidental astir it."

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.