If the Spurs win Game 4 on Sunday night, they will head back to San Antonio with a chance to end the series in front of their home crowd.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs are one win away from putting the Minnesota Timberwolves on the brink of elimination and bringing a potential closeout opportunity back home.
Propelled by a historic Game 3 performance from Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs now take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup on Sunday night after a 115-108 victory over the Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
If San Antonio wins again, the series will shift back to Texas for Game 5 on Tuesday with the Spurs holding a chance to eliminate Minnesota on their home floor.
That possibility has become increasingly real because of Wembanyama’s growing control of the series.
The Spurs star overwhelmed Minnesota in Game 3 with 39 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks while anchoring a defense that continues to disrupt nearly everything the Timberwolves want to do offensively near the basket.
Wembanyama shot 13 for 18 from the floor and 10 for 12 from the free-throw line Friday night, delivering perhaps his most complete postseason performance yet. Even after picking up his fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter, he remained aggressive and closed the game with 16 points in the final period.
His biggest shot came after Naz Reid drilled a 3-pointer to keep Minnesota close. Wembanyama answered immediately with a 3-pointer of his own to push San Antonio’s lead to six with 3:06 remaining.
The Timberwolves never recovered.
“We did a good job trying to play through physicality and trying to executive through some physicality,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said Saturday. “It was very apparent when we play with pace. It really helped a lot of different facets of our execution.”
De’Aaron Fox added 17 points in Game 3, while sophomore Stephon Castle continued his strong postseason run with 13 points and 12 assists. Castle’s pace and playmaking helped San Antonio maintain control even as Minnesota repeatedly threatened to rally.
Fox and Castle understand how pivotal stealing the first game in Minnesota was as the Silver & Black now look to try and force a closing Game 5 at home.
The Spurs have now won consecutive games after dropping a narrow Game 1 at home, and they have done it in dramatically different fashion: First with a 133-95 blowout in Game 2 and then through a composed late-game performance Friday night.
Anthony Edwards again carried much of the offensive burden for Minnesota, finishing with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Edwards scored 22 points in the first half and helped erase an early 18-3 deficit after the Timberwolves missed their first 12 shots of the game.
His buzzer-beating 31-footer at the end of the first quarter energized the home crowd, and McDaniels later tied the game at halftime with a corner 3-pointer.
But Minnesota could never fully regain control.
The Spurs shot 6 for 10 from beyond the arc in the third quarter, repeatedly punishing defensive breakdowns after the Timberwolves clawed back into the game. Even when McDaniels drew Wembanyama’s fifth foul and cut the lead to one with just more than six minutes remaining, San Antonio never surrendered the lead in the second half.
Now the pressure shifts squarely onto Minnesota entering Game 4.
Through three games, Wembanyama has dictated the series as both a scorer and defensive anchor, forcing Minnesota to adjust nearly every possession around his presence.
“That’s been one of the main focuses for us. Our team, whether it’s our youth or it’s Victor-centric, we know physicality has been a part of game-planning versus us,” Johnson said. “We also know our physicality doesn’t always show itself like other teams. And that’s OK. But we want to grow in our evolution of physicality, which I think we’ve done this year.”
Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. CT.
How to watch
The game will be televised on NBC and available to stream on Peacock. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350.
Team stats leaders (playoffs)
- POINTS: Victor Wembanyama (21.9), Stephon Castle (18.8), De’Aaron Fox (18.0)
- REBOUNDS: Wembanyama (11.4), Julian Champagnie (5.9), Devin Vassell (5.6)
- ASSISTS: Castle (6.4), Fox (5.9), Vassell (2.8)
- BLOCKS: Wembanyama (5.0), Mason Plumlee (1.0), Vassell (0.9)
Timberwolves
- POINTS: Anthony Edwards (19.4), Julius Randle (17.8), Ayo Dosunmu (17.1)
- REBOUNDS: Rudy Gobert (10.1), Naz Reid (7.4), Randle (7.2)
- ASSISTS: Donte DiVincenzo* (4.0), Dosunmu (3.6), Randle (3.2)
- BLOCKS: Gobert (1.2), Edwards (1.0), Jaden McDaniels (0.8)
Injury report
As of Saturday night, here’s where the team’s respective injury reports stack up:
- None submitted
Timberwolves
- Donte DiVincenzo – Out (Achilles)