Neal: Julius Randle handles tough coaching, turns in all-around game to spark Timberwolves against Warriors

Julius Randle’s lowest point during Thursday’s playoff game at Target Center occurred after he committed his second turnover of the third quarter.

The Timberwolves forward fumed when it was ruled that the ball came off him and went out of bounds for a turnover. It wasn’t clear whether Randle was angry at the official or himself, but he acted out.

While he was in the middle of his fit, Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga beat him downcourt, took a pass from Brandin Podziemski and finished with a two-handed jam. Moments later, Randle was removed from the game by coach Chris Finch and seethed about that.

He had to get it out of his system.

“You know me, being a competitor,” he said. “I wanted to stay out there, you know? Kind of ride the ship. But, you know, it didn’t necessarily go like that. I was a little hot.”

The bench is a great place to cool off.

“He had to settle back down and play,” Finch said after a 117-93 victory evened the best-of-seven NBA Western Conference semifinal series at one apiece. “Give him a minute to think about things and get to regroup. And he came back in and was awesome.”

When not on the bench, Randle was the best player on the court most of the time on Thursday. He was a matchup dilemma that Golden State has few answers for. It’s one reason the Wolves should still be considered favorites to win their series against Golden State and move on to the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive season.

As I walked through the concourse following the game to head to the postgame press conference, three separate cheers of, “Wolves in five!” broke out among departing fans. Given how fickle the playoffs can get, I’m not sure of that.

But I’m sure the Warriors don’t have answers for Randle when he’s on the floor with either Rudy Gobert or Naz Reid. Who is going to defend him?

He exploited favorable matchups when he had the ball, either by backing Warriors players down in the paint, shooting over them or just by making open shots. Like during the regular season, he brought the ball up court at times and was a distributor. Other times, on a night the Wolves offense flowed with unselfish ball movement, he found the right player for baskets. And he attacked the boards.

If the Wolves hadn’t been in command in the fourth quarter, which allowed Finch to empty his bench in the final minutes, Randle likely would have had his first postseason triple-double. He finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists.

“You could really see that tonight the game slowed down for him,” Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “Especially in that second quarter.”

That’s when Randle was at his best, as tension gripped the Target Center audience.

Anthony Edwards went airborne as he drove for a shot attempt late in the quarter but had his left ankle stepped on by Trayce Jackson-Davis as he landed. Play went on as Edwards was down for a few moments, holding his ankle as the Wolves medical staff tended to him. He eventually walked off the court with assistance.

No one knew Ant would recover and start the third quarter, so the energy in the building dipped over the next few minutes.

Except when Randle flourished.

Randle hit a short turnaround to give the Wolves a 39-20 lead. He later made a layup, put back a rebound, sank a three-pointer and drove for a layup. Over the last 5 minutes, 56 seconds of the second quarter, Randle scored nine points as Edwards healed in the locker room.

Taking it all in was NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, whom Randle met as a teenager growing up in Dallas because he played with The Playmaker’s son in high school.

“For him to come to Minnesota and come to the game, that’s a pretty cool thing,” Randle said. “A pretty big deal. So it was amazing.”

A few New Yorkers should come to Minnesota and watch Randle play, too. It was in New York where the narrative that he wasn’t a good postseason player was established. The Upper Midwest must suit him, because he’s taking a blowtorch to that narrative.

With the Knicks, Randle averaged 17.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 15 postseason games. With Minnesota, where his distribution talents are accentuated, Randle is averaging 22.1 points. 5.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists in seven games.

The Wolves will take this version of Playoff Julius, even if he has to go for a timeout on the bench when he gets emotional.