The player who Chris Finch said was his team’s best in Game 1 sat and sat and sat as the Timberwolves battled their way back into a “gotta have it” Game 2 at Ball Arena.

The Timberwolves’ adjustment after a Game 1 loss, somewhat forced on them by foul trouble — putting center Rudy Gobert on the bench for large stretches — was not an uncommon one and it worked well enough to claw the team back into a game before their typical grittiness took over in the fourth quarter, with Gobert back on the floor, of a 119-114 win that evens this first-round series at one game apiece heading back to the Twin Cities.

Finch and the Minnesota coaching staff leaned into a small lineup without a traditional center on the floor to crawl back into and eventually lead Monday night’s game before Nikola Jokic adjusted and punched back in the third quarter, but the Wolves had one final punch left to the throw of their own — and it was fueled by someone who Finch said he needed more from after Game 1.

Second-leading scorer Julius Randle, the team got in return when it dealt star Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks ahead of the 2024-25 season, was a key piece of the second-quarter splurge that saw Minnesota erase what was once a 19-point deficit.

“We needed somebody to get to the paint, play with some force,” Finch said. “We were settling way too much to start the game. Once he kinda broke the paint, we were able to get the ball moving a little bit and (Anthony Edwards) started going. That’s what we gotta do.”

As the Wolves spread the floor with a lineup filled with good shooters like Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid, Randle took advantage of some positive 1-on-1 matchups to finish with 24 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field to go with a team-leading six assists and some massive free throws in the final minute.

“Just playing with pace,” Randle said. “Any time I can play with pace and get (Edwards) free screens where he can play in space and get downhill or just play in the open floor is huge. It just creates a lot of drive and kick (opportunities) for us and just frees (Edwards) up and lets him get some easier looks.”

Maybe even more so than his offense, the Wolves needed Randle’s defense.

He’s drawn plenty of assignments on Nikola Jokic through two games and Finch is plenty pleased with the fight he’s brought to the three-time MVP.

“It’s hard as heck to guard those guys,” Finch said. “They’re in every single action down (the stretch) and it’s tiring. Everyone had a chance to fight ‘em. Rudy was there in the end and he was huge and we were able to make them miss enough shots. That’s what it comes down to. You gotta make ‘em miss at the right time.”

The Wolves did that to perfection late, holding Jokic and Jamal Murray to just four points on a combined 2-for-12 shooting from the field in the final quarter as their defense fueled yet another late comeback victory at Ball Arena.

But what may have been more important than any “Xs and Os” adjustment for Minnesota was the play of star guard Anthony Edwards. 

The 24-year-old scored a team-high 30 points as he found his legs going toward the rim and was much more assertive creating offense for himself after a passive Game 1 by his standards.

He, too, was able to capitalize on some advantageous matchups throughout the game, forcing Denver to adjust its defense that was initially keyed in on taking the ball out of his hands.

This version of Edwards, despite his lingering knee injury, was always going to be what Minnesota needed to take down the Nuggets in the postseason for a second straight meeting and that’s exactly what they may be getting with a pivotal Game 3 coming up on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. Prime Video) in Minneapolis.

“It’s been like a month and a half since I played basketball,” Edwards said. “I missed it. Just being out there, I’m just enjoying every moment, no matter how I feel.”