After nailing a jumper to help the Timberwolves stretch their lead to 38 points — yes, 38 points — Julius Randle delivered a message loud and clear while pointing at the hardwood beneath his feet.

“We home now!” Randle shouted at the top of his lungs. “We home now!”

The response from the 19,112 fans in attendance was deafening, like an orchestra rising to a crescendo for its conductor.

No longer did the Oklahoma City Thunder look like surefire bet to reach the NBA Finals. All of a sudden the Timberwolves felt like they had some life.

“The crowd had me going,” Randle said. “It gave me a lot of juice. I just wanted to feed off of that energy. I was just having fun out there.”

Let’s just say the vibes were immaculate on Saturday night at Target Center as the Timberwolves rolled to a 143-101 win over the Thunder.

After falling behind 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals and looking vastly overmatched in the process, the Timberwolves finally punched back, putting together a flurry that staggered the Thunder for perhaps the first time in the series.

As he reflected on the performance from his players, Chris Finch credited them for having the right approach, which is something the Timberwolves have struggled with against the Thunder to this point.

“We wanted to be the aggressor in everything,” Finch said. “We felt most of the series we’ve been on our heels.”

The catalyst was none other than Anthony Edwards.

He set the tone for the Timberwolves with 16 points the opening frame, outscoring the Thunder all by himself, and looking every bit of the superstar that he is. He finished with 30 points to lead all scorers while playing with a tenacity on both ends of the floor that proved to be infectious.

Some other key contributors for the Timberwolves included Randle, who responded the right way after getting benched the last time out, Jaden McDaniels, who locked up defensively like he always does, and Terrence Shannon Jr., who was a pleasant surprise that provided a spark off the bench.

There was also signs of life from Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo, both of whom look like they might slowly but surely be busting out of their shooting slumps.

All of it added up to the Timberwolves dominating the Thunder from start to finish. Not that the final score is worth reading into.

“It doesn’t matter what the margin of victory is,” Finch said. “They still have a 2-1 series lead.”

That was the message from the Timberwolves in the immediate aftermath and that’s exactly how they should be approaching the next 48 hours. As impressive as the effort was in Game 3, they need to bring a similar intensity in Game 4.

They can’t be satisfied. There’s still work to be done.

That wasn’t lost on the players in the Timberwolves locker room.

“We’re still down,” Edwards said. “They’re the best team in the NBA. We’ve got to be able to beat this team more than once. It’s going to be tough.”

Tough? Yes. Impossible? No.

That much the Timberwolves have now proven to themselves.

The heavyweight bout is back on and they are very much in the fight.

“We haven’t done anything,” Randle said. “We got to go and do it again and play even better and play even harder because we know they’re going to bring it.”

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After getting punked twice in Oklahoma City, Minnesota’s season was on the line Saturday at Target Center.

Game 3 of the Western Conference finals wasn’t only a must-win, it was a must-set-a-tone. The Timberwolves had to remind the world — and, frankly, themselves — of who they are: A talented, physical, relentless collection.

Who better to deliver the message than Anthony Edwards.

The superstar guard did just that Saturday to power Minnesota to a 143-101 victory. The Wolves pulled within 2-1 in the series with Game 4 set for 7:30 p.m. Monday in Minneapolis.

Yes, Edwards scored 16 points in the first quarter, actually outscoring the Thunder as a whole in that frame. But more importantly, he was tenacious in every aspect of the game. His defense was harassing out on the perimeter, producing a number of steals that led to highlight finishes in transition.

He was a monster on the glass, even nabbing an offensive board off a Rudy Gobert missed free throw.

Offensively, Edwards finally started to hit the step-in 3-pointers that have become a trademark of his this season, and Oklahoma City has left available with its drop pick-and-roll coverage.

Edwards came out throwing haymakers. When your best player exerts his dominance, others feel more comfortable to fulfill their roles. Suddenly, the 3-pointers of everyone else started to fall. Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo all started raining down triples with confidence.

The Wolves snapped out of a shooting slump by going 20 for 40 from 3-point range in the win.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch went to Terrence Shannon Jr. in the first-half rotation, and the rookie responded with nine points in four minutes of action in the first half alone, finishing with 15 for the game. Minnesota also shifted to a more aggressive perimeter defense that held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check and prevented Oklahoma City from ever getting comfortable offensively.

Minnesota led by 19 after the first frame, 31 at halftime and was never threatened by the top-seeded Thunder.

Edwards had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He was everywhere, which was exactly where he needs to be if Minnesota is to win four games out of five against this Thunder team.

One down, three to go.

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Minnesota United remained unbeaten when scoring the first goal on Saturday, but one poor moment led to a 1-1 draw with Austin FC at Allianz Field.

Michael Boxall scored off a corner kick in the 16th minute, but Austin needed a pinpoint sequence on low-odds counter attack to level the game 11 minutes later.

Minnesota (7-3-5, 26 points) is now 7-0-3 when scoring first goal this season. Austin (5-6-3, 18 points) improved to 0-6-1 when conceding first.

Minnesota blew out Austin 3-0 on May 3 and had a much more difficult time breaking down the Verde defense on Satrurday.

Boxall opened up the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 16th minute. Off a corner kick from Joaquin Pereyra and a header from Nico Romero, the Loons captain and center back tapped it in with his noggin from a few feet out.

Boxall, an avid golfer on off days in the offseason, went to a putting celebration.

United’s lead held up for 11 minutes and was undone at a completely unexpected time.

The Loons had a throw-into the attacking third but Austin intervened and sprang an inch-perfect counter attack. Boxall, Julian Gressel and Wil Trapp feverishly tried to make up ground but Austin found Zan Kolmanic for a finish tucked into the far post.

Kelvin Yeboah, who ended his eight-match scoring drought against St. Louis in U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, subbed in during 61st minute. He and Tani Oluwaseyi both played as forward.

In a head-scratching contrast, Austin subbed out its two best attackers — Brandon Vazquez and Osman Bukari — in the 71st minute.

Boxall added quality defensive work with a game-saving tackle in the 90th minute.

Three tidbits

In a surprising decision, Anthony Markanich kept his position at left wing back despite Joseph Rosales’ suspension ending before for Saturday’s game. Markanich deserved to keep his spot after his two-goal game led Loons to U.S. Open Cup win over St. Louis on Wednesday. Rosales replaced Markanich at halftime;  Markanich played 225 minutes over three games in eight days. … Entering Saturday, the Loons tallied at least three goals scored in three of previous four games for the first time since 2022. … Loons have an MLS-low 37% possession this season and radio play-by-play commentator Dan Terhaar joked about how Minnesota had nearly 50 percent in the first half. “That’s too much,” he kidded.

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Walter will be in town on Memorial Day.

The Frost are on a first-name basis with the PWHL championship trophy after winning it — the Walter Cup — last year in the league’s inaugural season. They quickly grew attached to it, calling the union a match made it heaven.

Saturday at Xcel Energy Center, the Frost entered Game 3 of the best-of-five PWHL Finals knowing that a win over the Ottawa Charge would leave them just one win away from making Walter theirs to have and to hold for another year.

It took them longer than they could have imagined, but Minnesota fought its way to a 2-1 win in triple overtime on Saturday. Katy Knoll got the winner at 9:57 of the third extra period, spinning around to bang in a rebound in the slot.

With Game 4 set for 4 p.m. on Monday at Xcel, the Frost can claim their second straight PWHL title on home ice with a victory. Should a Game 5 prove necessary it will be played in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Goals continue to be at a premium in the series, with each of the three games being decided by a 2-1 score in overtime.

The Frost held Ottawa without a shot on goal through the first 11:37 of the game. But the Charge’s first shot found the back of the net, giving them a 1-0 lead.

A scramble around the Frost net saw the puck bounce off the top of the net and onto the stick of Charge winger Emily Clark just off the edge of the crease. Clark fired a wrist shot past Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney for her third goal of the postseason.

The Frost, who had the only power play of the period, outshot the Charge 10-2 in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Frost pulled even at 2:58 of the second period on a goal by Lee Stecklein. With Knoll helping to create a screen in front of the net, Stecklein beat Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips on a wrist shot from just inside the blue line for her fourth goal of the postseason.

With the game still tied 1-1, the Frost went on a power play at 6:32 of the third when Ottawa’s Jocelyne Larocque was sent off for roughing. The Frost came up empty despite having three great scoring opportunities.

Philips slid across the crease to smother a one-timer by Grace Zumwinkle from the left-wing circle early in the power play. Seconds later, the Frost’s Claire Thompson was looking at an open net when she gathered a rebound, but a Charge defender got her stick on the shot to deflect the puck over the net.

Taylor Heise hit the post on a wrist shot before the penalty expired.

Both goaltenders were called on to make big stops in overtime. A few by Philips were of the acrobatic variety. She had little chance on Knoll’s game winner.

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