Timberwolves’ Julius Randle posterizes Victor Wembanyama at the buzzer

The Minnesota Timberwolves, heading into their second-round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA playoffs, have to be bracing for the fact that the Spurs’ defense is night and day better than the Denver Nuggets‘. Victor Wembanyama is the ultimate deterrent near the basket, and the Timberwolves will have to scale that mountain if they were to go back to the well that was their excellent inside-outside game in the first round.

And it looks as though the Timberwolves are prepared for the immense problems Wembanyama is about to pose for their offense. In Game 1 on Monday night, Julius Randle threw down an emphatic two-handed jam over a late charging Wembanyama to punctuate proceedings in the first quarter to give Minnesota a 24-23 lead after 12 minutes.

Julius Randle THROWS it down over Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/oCYmJ1Kjeu

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 5, 2026

It was about time the Timberwolves got something over Wembanyama, especially after the Spurs star has put on quite the defensive clinic to begin the series. At the time of writing, with a little less than seven minutes remaining in the second quarter, Wembanyama has already recorded six blocks, which is quite bonkers.

The difference between Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic on the defensive end could not be any more massive, and Randle’s throwdown over the Spurs star, at the very least, sent a clear message that the Timberwolves are not going to be afraid to challenge the reigning Defensive Player of the Year at the rim.

The Timberwolves entered their series against the Spurs as the underdog, but with Anthony Edwards back, Minnesota should at least have enough firepower to keep up with the higher-seeded team.

Alas, Ayo Dosunmu is still nursing an injury, although he could return to action later on in the series, while Donte DiVincenzo is out with a long-term injury, so Minnesota has to play at their best if they were to upset San Antonio.

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