NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: TIMBERWOLVES VS WARRIORS

May 10, 2025

Anthony Edwards

Mike Conley

Julius Randle

Minnesota Timberwolves

Game 3 - Postgame Media Conference

Timberwolves - 102, Warriors - 97

Q. Julius, how did you kind of find the offensive rhythm and flow in the fourth quarter that was -- seemed like so tough for the group in general through three quarters there?

JULIUS RANDLE: I think we just stayed solid. We've been in so many of these games throughout the year, and in the beginning of the year trying to find our identity and how we wanted to play.

I looked at the scoreboard going into the fourth quarter, and I think we were down four. In my mind, I was just telling myself take it a possession at a time, be solid, get some stops, and then on the offensive end just execute. It's no different than what we've done to finish this year off.

Q. Ant, Coach Finch said that that dunk, that poster dunk got you going. What did you see on that dunk? And also, how did that get you going into the game? It was an extremely aggressive second half too.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: The poster dunk by me?

Q. Yeah.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: I felt like when Kuminga dunked on me, it got me going more so, if anything.

Q. What did you see from Julius? Triple-double, second most player in history behind KG. What did you see from him tonight?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: He was incredible, man. Finding everybody on cuts. Finding the open guy time after time. Just pushing the pace. That's what we asked of him, and he's been doing that at a high level.

We can't ask for nothing better, man. He's been making the game a lot easier for me, so I appreciate having him.

Q. Ant, you said the Kuminga dunk got you going. What do you have to do usually when maybe the night is not going how you want it to go to get yourself going and you ended up finishing the way that you did?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Just trust the work, man. I feel like one thing I never lack is confidence. If I got that, I'll be all right.

Q. Julius, offensively, it seemed like you got going in a handful of different ways in this game. At the beginning they were kind of giving you the 3 there. You found different paths through that. What's that process look like for you over the course of the game reading what the defense is giving you?

JULIUS RANDLE: I feel like I just got like a lot of different tools, you know what I mean? It's really about using my mind and taking what the defense gives me.

I talk to C-Hines all the time, and he tells me I can do everything. For me, it's just about taking -- like I said, taking what the defense gives me. If it's a 3, take it, trust my work.

But also being able to read what's going on out there. They put Kevon Looney at the 5, so I wanted to get in actions with Mike in the pick-and-roll. Or if they put Draymond on me, being a screener and putting him in actions as well.

It's really just using my mind. If I get a mismatch, getting to my operating areas and attacking. If they don't double-team me, score. If they double-team me, find my guys.

Q. Mike, you guys have a number of clutch wins here in the postseason. From your vantage point, what comfort level has this team found in those areas that maybe has been a common denominator through these two series so far?

MIKE CONLEY JR.: I think we're just more confident now than we have been in the past. We saw it tonight being down a couple points late in games, and we don't seem to panic. We tend to kind of double down on what we do defensively. Offensively we got a good rhythm.

After now getting more chemistry with these guys and Julius, we now know who and where to go to and how to get guys involved late and get easy opportunities for ourselves. We just continue to do that, I think we'll be fine.

Q. Ant, Jaden hit a 3 to double your lead from three to six with about three minutes to go. Julius found him, but you found Julius. How did you kind of read the floor there? And what kind of satisfaction or pride or whatever do you process from a hockey assist?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: It's just like an assist to me. At the end of the day, as long as one of us scores with the Timberwolves across our chest, I don't care what it is. I don't care if I pass it or not. It don't really matter. But just reading the floor.

I think Julius set a screen for me. I was looking for my shot, but they kept two people on me. Then I saw Julius with the pop, and he made a great read to Jaden in the corner, and Jaden knocked it down.

Jaden was tremendous all night. He was 3 for 4 from 3. I wish we could have gotten him a couple more looks, but that was just the flow of the game. He came through big time for us.

Q. We see with Julius' offense he's able to get you guys a lot of good looks. But on the other end, it seems like when he's rolling it controls pace so much. How does it help slow down a team like Golden State who's trying to push it at all times?

MIKE CONLEY JR: It helps a lot. His physicality, his demeanor, the way he can control the pace, control the game on both ends of the floor, it kind of gives us some control. It gives us the ability to kind of settle into who we want to be offensively, defensively.

We can get sporadic at times, but having a guy that you can just get a ball to and post him up or just slow the game down and allow us to cut off of him and him make plays for everybody and make the game easy, it helps a lot.

His ability on defense to use his size and switch and be switchable and talk and loud, I think that all helps us be who we want to be.

Q. Mike, you got a very short rest at the end of the fourth and come right back in. What were you trying to do defensively in those moments to get the stops you needed just to close this out?

MIKE CONLEY JR: Really just run them off the 3-point line. You know they want to get to Buddy, get him good looks on that 3-point line, and then at the end of games all bets are off. You can be as physical as you want. You just got to play one-on-one defense. You kind of got to man up, and that's what we all did the final couple possessions of the game.

That's all we were trying to do. Trying to end the possession with a rebound and go the other way.

Q. Mike, it may have been -- it seemed like Ant and Julius had 52 of like 82 shots. Is that a function of playoff basketball? Is that what they were giving you?

MIKE CONLEY JR: They only had 52? We were trying to get them 60, 70, bro (laughter).

No, it's a function of how our team is going to flow. We want those guys to be aggressive. We want them to take the shots. We want them to take them, especially if they're good, in rhythm, in the flow of the game, and they're doing the right things, being aggressive and getting to the rim.

We don't mind that. We know we're going to get our shots through the flow of the game in other stuff. So need these guys to be more aggressive.

JULIUS RANDLE: Kuminga and Jimmy took 44 of 81 shots. Is that bad basketball?

Q. I didn't say it was bad. I said it was playoff basketball.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Yeah, it's playoff basketball. The best players shoot the ball.

Q. Mike, you could see what they're doing defensively. They're definitely executing their plan for 48 minutes and making it difficult. How much of a mental grind is that for you guys to continue to keep pushing when they are taking away -- they're taking away Ant's off the bounce 3s and stuff like that, the things you guys like to get to. For 48 minutes finding different answers and pushing through even with that?

MIKE CONLEY JR: That's what a championship team does. They have that DNA where they can change different lineups, throw different guys in, play different coverages, play zone. Those are all things we have to adjust to in the game.

Just the way we have done it throughout the first couple games has been spectacular, just being able to dissect and know when to find guys in different situations.

Ant being patient, not trying to go get it right away, getting off the ball. Julius, the same way, letting other guys kind of get shots and get in rhythm in different facets of the game. It allows the game to kind of open up at different points for them.

Q. Ant, has it been a little bit of a learning curve figuring out other ways to get your 3s up? Obviously you got 14 up tonight, but they really don't want you getting it off the bounce?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: For sure. It's kind of crazy because teams don't usually want me to get to the hole. Now they don't want me to shoot 3s, step-back 3s.

Just trying to find that balance, man. Like Mike say, not being thirsty all the time. Setting screens, finding my teammates, getting it through actions.

I think just playing off the ball is better for me playing versus this team because everyone is locked in on the game plan. They've got a pretty good group of guys that's locked in on the game plan. They're a championship team, and they don't make too many game plan mistakes.

Q. Ant, how would you describe what opened for you in the second half? You had 8 points in the first half, 28 points in the second half. Was it more of you finding a rhythm or you finding how they were guarding you?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Finchy put me in great positions, realizing less ball screens because all they going to do is probably trap it. Whoever is setting the screen, his man going to be super high where I got to pass the ball.

And then just playing off of Ju. I think that was another thing, our V2 action, back screening for Mike, trying to get a worse defender on me. Ju finding me on cuts and giving me easy looks and just getting into a rhythm.