There was a watershed moment for Julius Randle on Wednesday night at Target Center.

After finishing through contact on a fastbreak shortly before halftime, Randle was getting ready to shoot a free throw when he stopped for a few seconds, raised his hand skyward, and implored the home crowd to give him more.

The 19,395 fans in attendance happily obliged, rising to their feet, and showing their love with a deafening roar.

The scene wouldn’t have seemed possible a few months ago when Randle existed mostly as a punching bag for fans as they begrudgingly accepted that he was the replacement for longtime face of the franchise Karl-Anthony Towns.

After arriving from the New York Knicks via a blockbuster trade, the sometimes clunky style of play that Randle brought to the table didn’t help his approval rating as he tried to find his niche with the Timberwolves.

It felt like a marriage that was well on its way to a divorce.

That’s no longer the case as Randle was the best player on the floor for the Timberwolves throughout their 4-1 series win over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals.

He averaged 25.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists, proving himself as a dominant force that consistently put pressure on the rim, a secondary ball handler that helped initiate the offense when called upon, and a calming presence that continued to step up in some of the biggest moments.

A microcosm of those things were on display in the decisive Game 5 as Randle paved the way for the Timberwolves in a 121-110 win over the Warriors.

“They were going to make us earn it,” Randle said. “We came out with the right approach.”

It started with Randle as he was clearly on his game from the onset, whether he was bullying his way into the paint, knocking down shots from beyond the arc, or creating for others off the bounce.

“It’s incredible to be his teammate,” Anthony Edwards said. “He brings it every night. He shows us that he wants to win. I’m happy to have him next to me.”

If Edwards is Batman for the Timberwolves, then Randle is Robin, though reducing him to a sidekick might not be accurate.

Not when Randle himself has started to drive winning as an invaluable piece to the puzzle.

The turning point for Randle came midway through this season when he suffered a groin injury that resulted in him missing a month of action.

Not only did that give him a chance take a step back and watch the game from afar to see where exactly he fit in, it also underscored the importance of using his voice and taking on a leadership role that has continued to shine upon his return.

“After I came back, my mindset was, ‘How can I help this team win?’” Randle said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Though his stats were relatively similar before and after the groin injury, Randle looked like a completely different player as he found a way to play in rhythm on offense while also ratcheting up the intensity on defense.

“I was steadfast in my belief that Julius was going to help this team when it mattered most,” Chris Finch said. “I never really doubted that fact. He was exactly the player that could help us in moments like this. We just had to get to moments like this.”

As he reflected on his growth this season, Randle credited Finch with empowering him to tap into his complete skill set.

“He’s done an amazing job of allowing me to use all my tools,” Randle said. “He’s really opened up my game.”

That has gone a long way in the fans hopping on the Julius Randle bandwagon with the Timberwolves headed to the Western Conference Finals.

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Today is Thursday, May 15, the 135th day of 2025. There are 230 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 15, 1970, less than two weeks after the shooting at Kent State University, two Black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi were killed and 12 were injured when police opened fire during student demonstrations.

Also on this date:

In 1800, President John Adams ordered government offices to relocate from Philadelphia to the newly-constructed city of Washington, in the federal District of Columbia.

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In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act establishing the Department of Agriculture.

In 1928, the Walt Disney cartoon character Mickey Mouse appeared for the first time in front of a public audience in a test screening of the short “Plane Crazy.” (Mickey made his formal screen debut with the release of “Steamboat Willie” six months later.)

In 1940, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald’s fast-food restaurant, in San Bernardino, California.

In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its In re Gault decision, ruled that juveniles accused of crimes were entitled to the same due process afforded adults.

In 1972, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot and left paralyzed while campaigning for president in Laurel, Maryland, by Arthur H. Bremer, who would serve 35 years in prison for the attempted murder.

In 2015, a jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR’ tsahr-NEYE’-ehv) to death for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and left more than 260 wounded.

In 2020, President Donald Trump formally unveiled a coronavirus vaccine program called “Operation Warp Speed,” to speed development of COVID-19 vaccines and quickly distribute them around the country.

Today’s Birthdays:

Artist Jasper Johns is 95.
Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 89.
Actor-singer Lainie Kazan is 85.
Basketball Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson is 85.
Musician Brian Eno is 77.
Actor Chazz Palminteri is 73.
Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett is 72.
Rapper Melle Mel is 64.
Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz is 58.
Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith is 56.
Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis is 50.
Actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler is 44.
Tennis player Andy Murray is 38.

The Timberwolves put the finishing touches Wednesday on what had been a foregone conclusion for the past week, blitzing Golden State 121-110 at Target Center to win the Western Conference semifinal series 4-1.

Minnesota advances to the West Finals for the second straight season and will meet either Oklahoma City or Denver in the next round. The Wolves will start that series on the road, with Game 1 either on Sunday or Tuesday.

That series will require significantly better play from the Wolves.

Minnesota surrendered 27 second-chance points on Wednesday while turning the ball over 21 times. But it didn’t matter. Not against these Warriors, who were dead in the water the moment Steph Curry went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter of Game 1.

From that point on, the Timberwolves’ margin for error expanded to the size of a sea.

The entire series was largely a celebration for Minnesota, who finally got to clinch a series victory at Target Center for the first time since 2004.

Julius Randle got to exert his physical dominance over the smaller Warriors. Anthony Edwards got to pick his spots to combust offensively. Minnesota got to use its endless supply of lengthy perimeter defenders to harass a Warriors team that lost its offensive hub and identity and was suddenly forced to ask a number of players to do things with which they were not familiar.

The result was four straight Wolves’ wins, three of which came with ease. Even in Minnesota’s come-from-behind victory in Game 3, Golden State was largely helpless down the stretch run.

On Wednesday, Minnesota simply overpowered the Warriors with shot making. The Timberwolves shot 63% from the field, including 43% from distance.

Randle continues to be Minnesota’s best player in the playoffs, this time finishing with 29 points and eight rebounds. Edwards had 22 points and seven assists to help cancel out seven turnovers. Rudy Gobert had 17 points, while Mike Conley had 16. Minnesota scored 72 points in the paint, the most any team has tallied in these playoffs.

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Minnesota United shuffled the majority of its starting lineup on Wednesday and the new mix of players weren’t cohesive in a 2-0 loss to Houston Dynamo at Shell Oil Stadium.

Amid a congested schedule of nine games in 30 days, Loons made a striking eight different changes to its starting XI, including five making their first starts of the season.

The makeover was a major reason Minnesota (6-4-2, 22 points) had its two-game winning streak end at Houston (2-4-6, 10 points), which came into the match in 12th place in the West.

Loons head coach Eric Ramsay said he wanted to prioritize fresh legs over in-form players on Wednesday, while more regulars are expected to start Saturday versus St. Louis City. Ramsay added he had no regrets over the team he put on the field, given how stifling the heat was in Houston.

“Even with what is on paper your strongest team, the team that is in real rhythm, the team that has played the large majority of the games so far, there is no guarantee you are going to get a spark, energy and a real intensity, particularly after the experience we had (in a 4-1 win over Inter Miami) on Saturday,” Ramsay said. “With that considered and the conditions here … I think on balance it was a justified way of looking at this game.”

The Loons’ defense conceded a goal on the final action of the first half. On a recycled corner kick, Devin Padelford couldn’t get enough direction on a clearance and Pablo Ortiz’s header to the far post got over 5-foot-8 DJ Taylor’s leaping attempt at a goal-line clearance.

Apple TV broadcasters Neil Sika and Lloyd Sam said Houston coach Ben Olsen felt Minnesota was vulnerable in defending set pieces. That was spot on.

Then in the second half, Houston scored on another recycled corner kick, with Felipe Andrade finding the back of the net in the 77th minute.

In the first half, Minnesota was outshot 11-1 and 2-0 in shots on frame.

Trying to rectify the imbalance, coach Eric Ramsay made a quadruple substitution, bringing in more attacking-minded players — Tani Oluwaseyi, Joaquin Pereyra, Robin Lod and Bongi Hlongwane — in the 64th minute.

Striker Kelvin Yeboah had the Loons best chance in the 81st minute, but his header went over the crossbar.

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