As memorable as they are, game-winning buzzer-beaters are exceedingly rare in the NBA. There were only nine of them throughout the entire 2023-24 season. Before Sunday, the Minnesota Timberwolves hadn’t had one for almost six years. The last game-winning buzzer-beater made by a Timberwolves player came on Jan. 30, 2019, when Karl-Anthony Towns beat the Memphis Grizzlies in overtime.
All of that, in itself, makes Julius Randle’s game-winner against the Phoenix Suns extremely impressive. The Suns led the Timberwolves by as many as 16 points in the game, but with the score tied at 117, Julius Randle accepted the inbound pass, may have gotten away with a shove on Josh Okogie, and fired away from 3-point range as the clock expired to stun Phoenix and earn Minnesota its eighth victory.
Now here’s where things get interesting for Randle: this wasn’t his only buzzer-beater of the game. In fact, it wasn’t even his only buzzer-beating 3-pointer of the game. At the end of the first half, Randle made this miraculous 3-pointer to cut Phoenix’s 13-point lead down to 10.
To put the cherry on top here, Randle may not have made a shot at the end of the third quarter, but he did pull in a contested rebound on the final shot attempt of the frame, a 3-pointer by Devin Booker. Add all of that together and you could make a compelling argument that Randle just had one of the most impactful end-of-quarter games in recent NBA history. His second buzzer-beater likely only matters because he made his first, as the Suns likely would have fouled if they had been up by three instead of tied. Who knows, Phoenix could have even padded its lead at the end of the third quarter had Randle not pulled in that rebound.
Buzzer-beaters or no, Randle just had his best game as a member of the Timberwolves. His 35 points were his new high mark for the season, and his seven assists tied his season-high on that front. Randle’s fit in Minnesota was questionable from the jump, but if he keeps having games like he did on Sunday, the Timberwolves are going to be just fine.
