MINNEAPOLIS — Nobody typifies how up and down the Minnesota Timberwolves can be emotionally than Julius Randle. He has admitted it, and this Wolves team knows there can be times where Randle is going through lulls in how he’s feeling.

But when he’s engaged and playing like he was in the 133-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Target Center on Wednesday, he helps unlock the potential the Wolves have to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Randle sent the Wolves into the All-Star break with his second consecutive good performance. A game after posting a triple double, Randle finished with a season-high 41 points and seven rebounds against Portland. He had 23 in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

He put an exclamation point on the night with a monster jam as he crossed 40 points. The crowd rose to its feet as the Wolves called timeout moments later and his teammates mobbed Randle on the floor as he exited. After a rough couple of weeks to close out this portion of the schedule, the last two games were a needed injection of good vibes for the Wolves, who are 34-22.

McDaniels strong on both ends

Jaden McDaniels has his All-Star break vacation plans booked. He and his good friend on the team, Naz Reid, are headed somewhere. Just where are they going?

“I’m chilling man … can’t tell y’all though,” McDaniels said before the game.

Anthony Edwards is the Wolves’ lone All-Star.

Unlike some NBA players, McDaniels resisted the urge to mail in the final game before his vacation. Instead, McDaniels was a driving force for the Wolves on both ends of the floor

If you watched McDaniels all night, you appreciated the physicality, energy and effort, with which he played on both ends of the floor. If only this Wolves team channeled that every night, they might be higher in the Western Conference standings headed into the break. McDaniels helped shut down Portland All-Star Deni Avdija, who had 11 points on 3 for 14.

On the offensive end, he got the Wolves going with 15 points in the first half, 21 overall. He also finished with six rebounds and six assists.

How it happened

The Wolves did mirror McDaniels’ energy from the jump. The first stretch of the game saw them jump out to a 16-9 lead by forcing four Portland turnovers.

McDaniels was locked in from the start. He was 6 for 8 for 15 points in the first half. The Wolves got out and ran early with 11 fast-break points in the first quarter and they built their lead to as much as 16 in the first half before leading 61-51 at the half. Reid pitched in 10 points, five rebounds off the bench.

The Wolves extended their lead to 14 by the end of the third quarter by getting Rudy Gobert involved in the offense. Gobert had 13 points in the quarter, seven at the free-throw line. In all the Wolves were 14 for 18 from the line in the third.

Run, run, run

The Wolves finished the night with 25 fast-break points, and the impact Ayo Dosunmu has had in this area already is evident. Dosunmu finished with 12 points, four assists as he helped handle the ball and get the ball out in transition. In each of these last two wins, Dosunmu has looked like a needed shot in the arm for what the Wolves need in this area.

NBA fines Reid for altercation

The NBA fined Naz Reid $35,000 for his altercation with Atlanta’s Mouhamadou Gueye in Monday’s game. Gueye was also fined $35,000 after he shoved Reid during play, which prompted Reid to grab a hold of Gueye after the whistle. The two had to be separated and were then ejected.

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