MIN 133, POR 109: Julius Randle Erupts for 41 Points
Sarah Kowalski
Orthopedic Nurse ยท Milwaukee Bucks fan
Timberwolves Demolish Blazers 133-109, Randle Puts on a Masterclass
Minnesota came out like they had something to prove, and Portland got absolutely cooked from start to finish. The Timberwolves' 24-point win was never really in doubt after the first half, and when the dust settled, we got one of the cleanest fantasy performances of the season from Julius Randle and a reminder that some nights, star players just go off and there's nothing you can do about it.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julius Randle | 56.0 | 52.4 | 41/7/2 | 22.0/7.0/5.5 | +19.0 |
| Jaden McDaniels | 53.0 | 47.2 | 21/6/6 | 14.9/4.2/2.8 | +6.1 |
| Jrue Holiday | 27.0 | 30.5 | 23/5/5 | 14.8/4.5/6.5 | +8.2 |
| Anthony Edwards | 34.0 | 28.8 | 14/4/2 | 29.6/5.2/3.8 | -15.6 |
| Donovan Clingan | 30.0 | 28.3 | 8/9/1 | 11.5/11.4/2.0 | -3.5 |
| Rudy Gobert | 25.0 | 27.1 | 17/8/1 | 10.9/11.2/1.7 | +6.1 |
| Naz Reid | 27.0 | 26.4 | 11/7/2 | 14.2/6.4/2.5 | -3.2 |
| Ayo Dosunmu | 31.0 | 25.2 | 12/1/4 | 15.1/2.9/3.6 | -3.1 |
| Donte DiVincenzo | 25.0 | 23.3 | 3/4/5 | 13.0/4.5/4.2 | -10.0 |
| Scoot Henderson | 21.0 | 20.8 | 18/4/2 | 11.5/3.5/8.0 | +6.5 |
Randle Was Playing a Different Sport
Julius Randle put on a clinic last night. 41 points on 14-24 shooting with perfect free throw shooting (10-11). That's not just a good night, that's a "stop whatever you're doing" type of performance. The 52.4 Yahoo points came with him shooting over 58% from the floor and getting to the line constantly. The best part? This felt sustainable in terms of usage, not some weird outlier. He played 32 minutes of winning basketball when the game was already decided.
The real takeaway here is that Randle is doing exactly what you drafted him for. A power forward putting up 41-7-2 with elite efficiency is the fantasy ceiling, and he hit it. If you own him, you're obviously not panicking. If you don't own him, he's not available in any league worth playing in, so don't waste your time.
McDaniels Had His Best Game in Weeks
Jaden McDaniels joining Randle in the 47+ Yahoo FP club is the secondary story here. 21-6-6 with 2 steals and 2 blocks tells you Minnesota was just executing on all cylinders. What's interesting is how much McDaniels exceeded his season average (+6.1 PPG), which suggests the blowout situation let him play free and attack the rim more than usual.
The thing about McDaniels is he's been streaky, but 47 fantasy points when he goes off is legit useful in your lineup. He's not going to do this every night, but he's shown he's got another gear available. Keep him on your radar as someone who can win you a week if he gets hot.
Edwards Laid an Egg
Anthony Edwards managed 14 points on 5-10 shooting, and for a guy averaging 29.6 PPG, that's a miss. He was down 15.6 points from his season average, which is the kind of variance that happens in blowouts. The Timberwolves didn't need him to be the star when Randle was doing that, so the usage just wasn't there.
Here's the thing though, it's one game and the team won by 24. Don't panic on Edwards. This is noise. He'll bounce back against actual competition.
Holiday Put in Work for a Losing Effort
Jrue Holiday was one of the few bright spots for Portland, dropping 23-5-5 while shooting well (9-22 overall, but 5-3PM). The 30.5 Yahoo points kept him relevant even in a blowout loss. When your team is down big, you don't get a ton of opportunity for assists, so the fact he was still putting up numbers is solid.
The real problem for Portland was everyone else had to work twice as hard, and for most of them, it wasn't enough. Holiday did his job. That's all you can ask.
Clingan Stayed Productive but Didn't Get Volume
Donovan Clingan grabbed 9 rebounds and shot well (3-7 FG with 2-3PM), but 28.3 Yahoo points in a blowout is just fine, not exceptional. When the game gets out of hand, bigs don't always get the usage, and Clingan felt the difference. Down 3.5 PPG from his season average shows the ceiling for centers in these types of games.
Gobert Put in Solid Anchor Work
Rudy Gobert was 5-7 from the field and 7-10 from the line for 17-8, which is vintage Gobert. 27.1 Yahoo points is exactly what you want from your center when he's not playing heavy minutes. The efficiency was great, and he didn't leave anything on the table.
The Bench Scoring Story
What's wild is how much Minnesota's bench stepped up. Ayo Dosunmu went for 12-1-4 with 2 steals in 28 minutes, Naz Reid gave you 11-7-2 in 23 minutes, and Donte DiVincenzo was 3-4-5 with 3 steals. It's not that any one of these guys went crazy, but Minnesota's depth just suffocated Portland's entire offensive system.
For fantasy purposes, if you own any of these guys as bench pieces, nights like this help the narrative, but they're not consistently going to get this run in close games. File this away as a "blowout bonus" and don't overweight it.
The Waiver Wire Move Nobody's Talking About
Scoot Henderson finished with 18-4-2 on 5-8 shooting in just 18 minutes. That's 20.8 Yahoo points with elite efficiency. He's not going to take over games at his usage level, but the fact he's hitting shots at this rate in limited minutes is worth noting. If Portland gets healthy and he stays in the rotation, he could be a sneaky pickup in deeper leagues. He's already owned in 30% of Yahoo leagues, but that might climb if he keeps this pace up.
Bottom line? Minnesota's so deep it's scary. When Randle and McDaniels both go for 50+ Yahoo points and you still have meaningful contributions from your entire bench, you're talking about a contender. For Portland, this was a reality check. Holiday did his thing, Clingan was solid, but when everyone else underperforms, blowouts happen.
If you had Timberwolves guys last night, you got paid. If you had Blazers guys, chalk it up to a bad matchup and move on.