IN A GAME the Minnesota Timberwolves desperately needed, Julius Randle played miserably.
His five points were the fewest he'd ever scored in a playoff game, eclipsing his previous career low of six, set just two games earlier. He'd attempted only seven shots, making one of them. He had five turnovers. But more than that, for much of the game, he was invisible.
Sitting in front of his locker after Monday's 128-126 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder put Minnesota in a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference finals, Randle had no answers for why he flatlined in Game 4, since he had consistently infused so much life into the Wolves' playoff run.