Julius Randle struggles as Timberwolves fall 135-108; Finch calls him 'pretty severely' under the weather

julius randle was under the weather and visibly off his game as the Timberwolves lost 135-108 to Philadelphia, coach Chris Finch said, a defeat that arrives with Minnesota heading into a three-game road trip.

Julius Randle off his usual form

Randle finished with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, going 1-of-5 from three and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line in 31 minutes. He added three rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal, but was a minus-20 for the game as Minnesota managed only 108 points in the defeat.

Finch points to illness and Philadelphia's physicality

Coach Chris Finch said Randle was "under the weather, pretty severely" and noted the 76ers were "physical, " "super handsy" and "active in the gaps. " Minnesota committed 21 turnovers in the game; Randle accounted for two of those miscues while teammate Anthony Edwards had seven turnovers and still scored 28 points. Joel Embiid did not play for Philadelphia in the matchup.

Short-handed Wolves fall in standings, set for road stretch

Minnesota was missing key players: Rudy Gobert sat out due to a suspension after a seventh Flagrant Foul, and Naz Reid was out with an injury. The loss left the Timberwolves with a 35-23 record. Despite the setback, the team will embark on a three-game road trip this week.

Randle has been a model of availability this season, having played in all 58 games for Minnesota, but Sunday’s outing highlighted how illness and a short rotation affected his usual contributions and the Wolves' ability to respond on both ends.

Minnesota now turns its focus to the upcoming road slate, with coaching staff and medical personnel expected to monitor Randle’s condition as the team seeks to stabilize its play away from home.