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Timberwolves beat Suns 116-104 behind Julius Randle's 32 points
Julius Randle had 32 points and Bones Hyland added 22 points of the bench as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104 Tuesday night at Target Center. FOX 9's Pierre Noujaim caught up with Randle in the locker room after the game.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104 Tuesday night at Target Center behind Julius Randle’s 32 points.
After the game, Randle wasn’t pleased with the officiating after being undercut by Suns’ guard Devin Booker.
Devin Booker under cuts Julius Randle
The backstory:
Randle had gotten a steal during the second half, and was headed towards the basket likely going for a dunk. Booker swiped at his arm, then appeared to slide under him and under cut him. The officials called a foul on Booker, then reviewed the play, and deemed it didn’t meet the criteria for a flagrant foul.
Randle didn’t agree with that.
"Pffff, yeah I’m alright. That was crazy though, I got a flagrant for that same thing," Randle said.
Bones Hyland steps up without Anthony Edwards
What we know:
The Timberwolves announced before Tuesday’s game Anthony Edwards has right knee inflammation and will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks. That means the Timberwolves will be without their top scorer for up to seven games.
Ayo Dosunmu started in Edwards’ spot, but it was Bones Hyland that provided the spark for the Timberwolves. Hyland scored 22 points off the bench, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from the perimeter.
"He was a big part of that. He came in with a lot of energy, a quick 11 points and it kind of flipped the game. He played fantastic all night," Randle said.
"just trying to get up and down the floor, provide some pace and provide a spark," Hyland said.
Utah Jazz next
What's next:
The Timberwolves host the Utah Jazz Wednesday night at Target Center, then complete a stretch of three games in four days by hosting the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night. The Timberwolves are 42-27 and now have a three-game lead over the Suns for the No. 6 spot in the West.
They’re 1.5 games out of the No. 3 spot, and the top six teams at the end of the regular season avoid a play-in series in the NBA Playoffs.