SAN ANTONIO — In any fight, body blows become an investment. They take a toll. They destroy methodically. Siphon the opponent’s energy. Challenge the will. Indeed, haymaker swings offer more excitement. But a patient pugilist values the muffled thud of shots to the resolve.
On Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Julius Randle went to work on the proverbial body of San Antonio. The bruising forward led the impetus for Minnesota in Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinal series: to be felt. And Randle sent the message to the favorites, the No. 2-seeded Spurs, through the torso of Victor Wembanyama.
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The head of the 7-foot-forever Spur is too high to reach. So Randle kept delivering blows. At his body. At his stamina. At his heart. The aim wasn’t a knockout, but the gradual deterioration of San Antonio. In Game 1. In this series.
The Timberwolves took the series opener, 104-102, not because they were excellent. But because they gradually extracted the excellence of the Spurs. San Antonio guard Julian Champagnie, the team’s best 3-point shooter, sailed his game-winning 3-point attempt harmlessly off the front rim. It was a metaphor for the long game Minnesota is playing.
What few questions remain about Wembanyama, and in essence, the viability of the Spurs, include the ability of his wiry frame to endure the longevity and friction of an earnest playoff series. This iteration of San Antonio is new to the second season, and Portland failed to push the Spurs in the first round.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards came back from injury, his early return from a hyperextended knee giving his team a jolt. His disposition spearheaded Minnesota’s approach. Randle’s importance remained critical as the Wolves, a No. 6 seed but venerable postseason veterans, introduced San Antonio to the playoffs’ bitter taste.
Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota’s two best defenders, paved the way in the first round by smothering Denver’s vaunted tandem of Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. But in this series, Randle drew the assignment of vibe curator.
He aimed to test the sturdiness of the Spurs’ burgeoning legend. And in doing so, Randle embodied Minnesota’s intention to illustrate how this would be one of those series. One that tenderizes muscles and puts pressure on the joints and ligaments. That exposes conditioning and reveals composure.
“He’s the strongest player on the floor,” Minnesota guard Terrence Shannon Jr. said of Randle. “You know he can use his physicality against anybody. Any of them.”
Wembanyama and the Spurs felt Randle. San Antonio felt Minnesota. And the return on the investment came in the fourth quarter.
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The Timberwolves, who have made the past two Western Conference finals and endured their share of hardening heartbreaks, showed their quality in the critical moments. Minnesota found its groove in the fourth quarter, while San Antonio’s legs wobbled. A 14-2 run midway through the fourth put Minnesota in the driver’s seat and San Antonio on the chase. Randle scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the final frame, including a driving bank shot in the final minute that proved to be the game-winner.
“Extremely important,” Randle said. “That’s kind of a tone-setter for the series. Especially being a road team. For us to come out the way we did, composed, just playing good basketball. We feel like we left a lot out there, to be honest. I feel like we can play a lot better. But just our scrappiness, our heart, our hustle, you know, just our will to win got us through.”
Randle made his mindset clear with his fashion choices. He walked into Frost Bank Center clearly looking for a problem. A pair of black-and-white Chuck Taylors, an ode to the old days when elbows were a steady diet. A black White Sox cap, made iconic in Dr. Dre’s 1992 “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” video. A black suit. Not the dressy kind, but more like a luxury version of a Dickies get-up. Beneath it, a white T-shirt featuring 2Pac.
The Dallas native, who started his NBA career in Los Angeles, returned to his home state with “Hit ‘Em Up” energy.
“You already know,” Randle, 31, said with a smile.
He posterized Wembanyama at the first-quarter buzzer.
Randle, out on a fast break, decelerated as he got in the paint, almost as if he wanted the charging Wembanyama to catch up. Randle shed Champagnie with a forearm and power dunked with two hands before Wembanyama could block it. Randle didn’t try to finesse or quick-shot it, but went up strong.
PLAYOFF POSTER. pic.twitter.com/UjZEpZr0MT
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 5, 2026
Early in the second quarter, playing defense in the post, Randle went through Wembanyama’s body in an attempt to steal the post-entry pass. Minutes later, during a transition, Randle turned his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame into a brick wall in Wembanyama’s path, taking the foul as Wembanyama crashed to the hardwood. Late in the second quarter, Randle delivered an elbow to the back that sent Wembanyama to the floor.
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This was Wembanyama’s night. Elbows. Shoves. Aggressive box-outs. Defenders pressing up on him until they were in his jersey, until his sweat could drip onto the top of their domes. Double teams coming with violent swipes at the ball. Not just with Randle. But McDaniel and Naz Reid, who aggressively fronted Wembanyama, pulling and shoving and pushing to do so.
Wembanyama finished with 11 points on 17 shots. He missed all eight of his 3-point attempts, which played into the hands of a Minnesota squad that made the paint rough terrain.
The Timberwolves know he’s coming back. They employ this strategy because Wembanyama is great. But can he hold up for six games? Or seven. Can he find his efficiency among their abrasiveness? Randle launched that investigation on Monday. Any San Antonio defender who found himself matched up with Randle felt the density of his shoulder, the power of his hips and the force of his forearm. He took 12 of his 20 shots in the paint, including six in the restricted area.
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This wasn’t one of Randle’s sparkling performances. But it wound up being one of his better showings as an experienced leader of a Wolves team that increasingly resembles a real contender. Because Randle worked through his offensive struggles. He remained on his post as the flag bearer of Minnesota’s approach in this series and in these playoffs.
As much as they need Randle’s buckets, and his size and strength, they need his psyche. A third straight trip to the West finals depends largely on his production. As a playmaker, as a scorer, as a team thermostat. The Timberwolves need his mentality to remain consistent and aggressive. To be their big brother leading the fight.
Randle embraced the duty on Monday. Against all odds.
“We all trust Ju,” McDaniels said. “He’s our vet as well. He just keeps doing what he’s doing and we’ll follow behind him.”