Former Knicks Star Comes Up Big in Timberwolves Upset of Lakers

Former New York Knicks star Julius Randle played a major role in the Minnesota Timberwolves' five-game upset of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former New York Knicks star Julius Randle is getting the handle of this postseason thing.

Randle closed out his first playoff showing as a Minnesota Timberwolf in style, scoring 23 points in a 103-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of a Western Conference quarterfinal on Wednesday night. The win allowed the sixth-seeded Timberwolves to secure an upset series victory over No. 3 Los Angeles, which boasted the services of touted tandem Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

“It’s just a start, but I feel good about it as well,” Randle said of the win, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press. “Especially the way we won, and how we were doubted, it just shows we’ve got a lot of character in the locker room.”

Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Traded by the Knicks in the deal that acquired Karl-Anthony Towns, Randle struggled in his postseason showings as a New Yorker. Injuries partly played a role in those issues, as a shoulder ailment kept him out for all of last year's tournament.

But Randle closed out the five-game set in style, scoring at least 20 in each of the final four. Withstanding early foul trouble, Randle put in 15 points in the final period, which saw the Wolves stave off a Los Angeles comeback.

Minnesota reps were quick to recognize Randle's impact in the key victory, just the fifth postseason advancement in Timberwolves franchise history.

"Julius did a great job of calling for the ball during the final stretch, because I would've kept trying to force it trying to find something," Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards joked (h/t New York Basketball on X). "Julius had it going and ... we're a team, so just give him the ball, let him go to work."

“Julius Randle was absolutely huge in this series, another guy who has had a lot of unfair criticism in his career," Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch lauded (h/t Timberwolves Clips on X). "He was outstanding at both ends of the floor, and we don’t win this series without Julius. He was consistently great every single night, just doing a lot of little things, as well as timely things.”

Minnesota now awaits the winner of the Golden State Warriors' set with the Houston Rockets and will carry homecourt advantage if the former prevails. The seventh-seeded Warriors lead No. 2 Houston by a 3-2 tally.

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