Minnesota needed someone to stabilize the ship to get across the finish line first in enemy waters. As has often been the case over the past couple months, that person was Julius Randle.

Once viewed as a player who shrunk in the playoff spotlight, Randle has been a revelation in his first postseason for the Timberwolves.

The Warriors took the first game of the series on the road, but the Timberwolves took advantage of Stephen Curry’s absence to get into the win column in the second. Curry left Game 1 with a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for at least a week.