Spurs seize 3-2 series lead with Game 5 thrashing of the Timberwolves

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama atoned for his first career ejection with another huge performance, finishing with 27 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series.

Keldon Johnson had 21 points, De’Aaron Fox added 18 and Stephon Castle had 17 as San Antonio moved a game away from the Western Conference finals. The Spurs can advance to face Oklahoma City with a victory in Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis.

Anthony Edwards, who was limited to eight points in the first half, finished with 20 points for Minnesota. Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels added 17 points apiece.

Wembanyama returned after his ejection early in the second quarter of Minnesota’s 114-109 victory Sunday during Game 4 in Minneapolis. Wembanyama received a Flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Naz Reid in the throat.

Both teams continued to hammer each other, with Reid receiving a technical foul for pushing Wembanyama in the back on a Minnesota free throw with 2:24 left in the first half.

The foul fired up Wembanyama, not that he needed any additional motivation.

Wembanyama was 6 for 8 from the field and 2 for 3 on 3-pointers in scoring 18 points in the opening quarter.

After being approached by Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu after getting tangled up with McDaniels in the first quarter, Wembanyama would run untouched to the rim for an emphatic windmill dunk.

The Timberwolves opened the third quarter on a 14-2 run to tie the game after trailing by 18 points in the first half. Minnesota tipped away three attempted alley-oop passes to Wembanyama before they reached the 7-foot-4 post.

The Spurs recaptured a double-digit lead in the third spurred by Keldon Johnson’s block on Rudy Gobert’s attempted dunk followed by his short jumper after bodying Edwards under the rim.

Read on for our live updates from Game 5.

San Antonio took care of business down the stretch, dispatching of Minnesota and putting their garbage-time players in for the final couple minutes. 

The Spurs finished the game having shot 53% from the field while limiting the Timberwolves to 39%. They also went 11-of-32 from the 3-poine line, a major improvement over their Game 4 sharpshooting. More importantly, the team limited Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards to 20 points and just two in the final frame; he had reached 30 points in consecutive games coming into Game 5. 

Victor Wembanyama finished with a game-high 27 points, followed up by Keldon Johnson’s 21-point explosion off the bench. 

As the fourth quarter gets underway, it’s evident this is San Antonio’s most offensively complete game of the series. Five Spurs players have scored double-digit points, and the team is shooting 51% from the field. 

They’ve also out-rebounded, out-assisted and out-blocked the Wolves. 

Even the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco donned their Silver & Black best for Game 5, rooting on their favorite players in the pivotal playoff battle. 

San Antonio has won each quarter of the game so far as they build an 18-point lead over Minnesota. In a frame that saw Wemby score just three points, it was his supporting cast – particularly Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson – who kept their foot on the gas. 

The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year has 16 points late in the third quarter, in what’s proving to be a breakout playoff performance. Having shot 41.4% from the floor through four games this series, he’s 6-for-9 from the floor in this matchup. 

San Antonio answered Minnesota’s half-opening run with one of their own. An 11-2 run has them back up nine points. Stephon Castle scored six straight Spurs points to reach double-digits in the game. 

Minnesota is giving the Spurs a taste of their second-quarter medicine, starting the frame on a 12-2 run to come within two points. Anthony Edwards has four points in the quarter after not scoring any in the second frame. 

San Antonio limited their opponents to just 17 second-quarter points as they look to go up 3-2 in the series. Both teams are hovering around 31% from downtown, but the Spurs have limited the Wolves to 41% shooting from the field overall compared to their 48% mark. 

Wembanyama’s 21 points leads all players. He also has 11 rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocks. De’Aaron Fox chipped in 12 points and Keldon Johnson has eight off the bench. 

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. 

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%. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.