Whoever triumphs in Game 5 in NBA playoff series tied 2-2 goes on to win more than 80% of the time.
SAN ANTONIO — A best-of-seven is now a best-of-three.
The Western Conference Semifinals matchup between the Spurs and Timberwolves returns to Frost Bank Center for Game 5 on Tuesday night, with the series tied up at two games apiece after Minnesota capitalized on Victor Wembanyama’s early ejection in Game 4.
Wembanyama will suit up Tuesday, having avoided further punishment from the league for what officials deemed was a Flagrant 2 foul when he elbowed Minnesota’s Naz Reid in the head.
So too will guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, who were listed as questionable for most of the day after sustaining injuries in Game 4. They’re a major piece of the team: Fox and Harper are third and fourth in scoring, respectively, for San Antonio this postseason.
Tuesday’s battle is a pivotal matchup. According to Spurs radio play-by-play announcer Dan Weiss, NBA teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 series go on to win the series 82% of the time. For the Spurs in that scenario, they’re 10-1 when winning Game 5 since 1984.
Whichever teams wins the series will go on to face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
Read on for live updates on Game 5, which gets underway at 7 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.
Pregame
Stephon Castle, Victor Wembanyama and other Spurs players participated in shootaround ahead of their first game at Frost Bank Center since Game 2.
San Antonio is 13-6 against Minnesota at home since the start of the 2015-2016 campaign.