BBNBA: After rough debut, Julius Randle drops 33 in Timberwolves win
After spending the last five seasons in the Big Apple, Julius Randle was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Cat-for-KAT trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York City not long before the season began. Unfortunately, Randle’s debut with the Wolves on Tuesday was anything but smooth as he looked out of place and downright confused at times playing alongside his brand-new teammates.
But the nice thing about the NBA is he has another 81 chances to make it right. And that’s exactly what Randle did in his second-ever game with Minnesota. In a 117-115 win over De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings, Randle dropped in 33 points (13-17 FG; 5-6 3PT) to go along with five rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes. He was much more assertive this time around and looked far more comfortable. Anthony Edwards (who finished with 32 points) knocked in a pair of free throws with under three seconds left to seal the win.
No one was happier about Randle’s performance than Edwards, either.
“Ohhhhhhhh my god. We told him this morning, don’t fit around us, we’ll fit around you, and he showed us today,” Edwards said postgame.
Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham, who was selected eighth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, received his second straight DNP-CD as he continues to wait for his professional career to officially begin.
For the Kings, Fox chipped in a double-double of 15 points (6-14 FG) and 11 assists in his 2024-25 season debut. Malik Monk, one of the favorites to win Sixth Man of the Year, added 17 points on 6-9 shooting and four dimes off the bench. Trey Lyles rounded out Sacramento’s trio of Wildcats with three points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal in just 10 minutes.
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As a side note, the Kings had a handful of their players sign jerseys for a social media video. Mixed in between the jerseys was a printed-out picture of their college team’s rivals. Fox and Monk were shown North Carolina and Lousiville logos. They had perfect responses.
SGA, OKC outshine Murray, Nuggets
Is the Jamal Murray summer hangover still in effect? After producing arguably the best regular season of his career, Murray struggled in the playoffs for the Denver Nuggets last season and then looked even worse for Canada in the Olympics. Injuries have played a role, but he hasn’t looked the same since around April. Denver forked over a massive contract anyway, so maybe the concerns aren’t as loud as they seem.
But Murray still struggled in the Nuggets’ season-opener, losing to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-87. Murray recorded a solid line of 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, but shot just 4-13 from the floor and turned the ball over three times. That being said, OKC has a wealth of defense-first guards in place specifically to slow down someone like Murray.
One of those defense-first guards is second-year player Cason Wallace, who finished with four points, two rebounds, and two steals in his 18 minutes of action. But the star of the night was, as you might have guessed, none other than Gilgeous-Alexander — last season’s MVP runner-up. SGA posted a game-high 28 points on 11-24 shooting in addition to seven rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and three blocks in 36 minutes.
He also did whatever the hell this move is…
Wizardry.
Other BBNBA notes
- PJ Washington and the Dallas Mavericks went head-to-head against Keldon Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs. It was Washington’s team that came out on top though with a 120-109 win. The stretch forward finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 26 minutes. Meanwhile, Johnson added seven points, four rebounds, and two assists in his 24 minutes.
10/24/24 statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Julius Randle (MIN) | 117-115 W @ SAC | 33 | 13-17 (5-6) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 34 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 102-87 W @ DEN | 28 | 11-24 (2-6) | 7 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 36 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 117-115 W vs. MIN | 17 | 6-9 (1-2) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7 | 26 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 117-115 W vs. MIN | 15 | 6-14 (1-4) | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 37 |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 102-87 L vs. OKC | 12 | 4-13 (2-5) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 38 |
| PJ Washington (DAL) | 120-109 W vs. SAS | 11 | 4-11 (2-7) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -6 | 26 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 120-109 L @ DAL | 7 | 3-9 (1-3) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -12 | 24 |
| Cason Wallace (OKC) | 102-87 W @ DEN | 4 | 2-7 (0-1) | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 23 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 117-115 W vs. MIN | 3 | 1-4 (1-3) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -14 | 10 |
| Rob Dillingham (MIN) | 117-115 W @ SAC | DNP-CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tonight in the NBA
- 7:00 | 76ers (Edwards, Maxey) @ Raptors (Quickley)
- 7:30 | Nets @ Magic
- 7:30 (ESPN) | Pacers (Jackson) @ Knicks (Toppin, Towns)
- 7:30 | Pistons @ Cavaliers
- 7:30 | Hornets (Richards) @ Hawks
- 8:00 | Bulls @ Bucks (Livingston)
- 8:00 | Grizzlies @ Rockets (Sheppard)
- 9:30 | Warriors @ Jazz (Juzang, Tshiebwe)
- 10:00 | Pelicans @ Trail Blazers (Sharpe: out)
- 10:00 (ESPN) | Suns (Booker, TyTy Washington) @ Lakers (Davis, Vanderbilt: out)
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