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5 takeaways from Timberwolves' Game 4 victory over the Warriors

Julius Randle's playoff consistency, a monster third-quarter run and more popped out Monday night.
Nolan O'Hara|
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle dribbles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter during Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal at Chase Center in San Francisco on May 12, 2025.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle dribbles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter during Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal at Chase Center in San Francisco on May 12, 2025. | Cary Edmondson / Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the Golden State Warriors on the brink of elimination in their Western Conference semifinal, holding a 3-1 series lead following Monday night's 117-110 victory in Game 4 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

It's been a special playoff run for the Wolves, who dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round in five games and are one win away from doing the same to the Warriors in the second round. They'll get that opportunity Wednesday night when the two teams meet for Game 5 in Minneapolis. But first, here's a look at five takeaways from their Game 4 victory:

Julius Randle's consistency

Before the postseason began, the prevailing narrative was that Randle was a playoff disappointment. Nine games into Minnesota's playoff run, Randle has brought that narrative where it belongs — the trash. Randle hasn't just been good in the playoffs, he's arguably been the Wolves' most consistent player, and certainly one of their most impactful players.

Game 4 was just the latest example. Randle helped offset a lackluster start with a dominant first half, which left the Wolves down only two points at the break when coach Chris Finch felt the deficit could have been much larger. He finished with a game-high 31 points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. He had a plus-minus of plus-11 in his 40 minutes.

Randle has clearly taken his play to another level this postseason. He's averaging 23.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in Minnesota's nine playoff games. Randle's playoff struggles? Nowhere to be found this time around.

Third-quarter dominance

The Wolves have been consistently inconsistent this season. They've shown they can beat anyone in the NBA, and they've shown they can lose to anyone in the league. After a slow-moving start to Game 4, Minnesota looked like an entirely different team in the second half. It was so dominant in the third quarter the game was already over by the fourth.

Anthony Edwards was the driver as he scored 11 points during a 17-0 Timberwolves run that changed the game. He scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter overall, a frame the Wolves won by a 39-17 margin. Edwards noted the difference was the team's defensive intensity in the quarter. It goes to show Minnesota can take over a game at any time.

"Our defense (was the difference in the third quarter)," Edwards told reporters postgame. "We was letting Jonathan Kuminga just get everywhere he wanted to go. Draymond (Green) was pushing the pace. We wasn't impacting the ball as he was crossing half court. Offensive rebounds — we wasn't boxing out. We wasn't limiting those guys to one shot.

"Just game plan mistakes that can't happen if you want to beat a championship team, and if you want to go to the Finals, or Western Conference finals at least. You can't let those things happen, so we got to be better."

The Wolves were better in the second half, and they looked like a championship team in the process.

Defending Jonathan Kuminga

As Edwards aptly pointed out, Kuminga was a problem for the Timberwolves defense. He was going to the rim at will, drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line while providing the Warriors a much-needed scoring punch with Steph Curry sidelined due to a hamstring strain. And it was coming off the back of his 30-point performance in Game 3.

Finding ways to contain Kuminga is the difference between the Wolves dominating and letting the Warriors hang around. In the first half, Kuminga had 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting with eight makes from the free-throw line, and he was a plus-6 in 13 minutes. The Wolves held him to seven points on 2-for-7 shooting with three makes from the line in the second half, and he was a minus-19 in 16 minutes. It was the tale of two halves and the defense on Kuminga was a key difference.

Covering Kuminga will be a key order of business in Game 5 if the Wolves want to close it out at home.

3s are falling

The Timberwolves have had some cold-shooting stretches this postseason, but Game 4 was an example of them righting the ship. Minnesota shot 16 for 34 from 3-point range (47%) and got makes from long range from six different players.

Most encouraging for the Wolves was getting some makes from 3 off the bench. Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, both of whom have struggled with their shot this postseason, went a combined 3 for 5 from 3-point land. Naz Reid hit a 3 and Mike Conley made a pair, while Randle and Edwards combined to go 10 for 19 from deep. When the Wolves are on track with their 3-point shots like they were on Monday, they sure look like a team that's pretty difficult to beat.

Chance to close out at home

The Wolves will get their first chance to close out a playoff series at home in the Edwards era. They swept the Phoenix Suns last season in the first round, winning Games 3 and 4 on the road. They downed the Denver Nuggets in seven games in the semifinals, putting together a memorable Game 7 victory in Denver. And they got the better of the Los Angeles Lakers a few short weeks ago, closing them out at Crypto.com Arena in Game 5. This time, they'll have a chance to send the Warriors packing if they can pull out a Game 5 victory on the Target Center court Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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