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.
2Q, 9:02 remaining: Spurs 45, Timberwolves 33
It’s a game of momentum swings so far, with San Antonio answering Minnesota’s first-quarter spurt with an 11-3 run to begin the second frame, putting them up by double-digits again.
Carter Bryant chipped in another off-the-bench trey for the Silver & Black, which has 22 points in the paint to Minnesota’s 10.
End of 1Q: Spurs 34, Timberwolves 30
Victor Wembanyama tallied 18 points and six rebounds in a flamethrowing first half that also saw him making a pair of 3s.
Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson has also made an early impact with six points on 3-of-5 shooting. San Antonio is shooting 57% as a team, with Minnesota shooting 58%.
1Q, 1:20 remaining: Spurs 30, Timberwolves 26
A Keldon Johnson putback jam stopped a 10-0 Minnesota run that nearly brought them even with San Antonio near the end of an action-packed first quarter.
1Q, 2:51 remaining: Spurs 28, Timberwolves 22
An 8-2 Minnesota run with Wemby off the floor stopped the first-quarter bleeding after San Antonio found themselves up by double-digits. San Antonio is 3-for-7 from beyond the arc, already halfway to their total 3-pointer output from Game 4.
1Q, 7:48 remaining: Spurs 17, Timberwolves 9
A vintage Wemby outburst – nine points in the first four-plus minutes – has San Antonio out to an eight-point lead, already matching the team’s biggest Game 4 advantage. It forces the Timberwolves to take a timeout.
1Q, 10:11 remaining: Spurs 5, Timberwolves 5
A physical start to the game has reflected the series so far. De’Aaron Fox nailed an and-one after being bumped on a jump shot, giving the game its first points.
Not long after, referrees assessed a Rudy Gobert foul for a Flagrant 1 after he crowded into Wembanyama mid-3-point-attempt.
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.