Victor Wembanyama erupted for 27 points—18 in a blistering first quarter—and grabbed 15 rebounds as the host San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 on Tuesday night, seizing a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Game 6 of the best-of-seven series is set for Friday in Minneapolis, with a potential Game 7 back in San Antonio on Sunday.
Wembanyama returned to action after being ejected in the second quarter of Sunday’s 114-109 loss in Game 4. He was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and subsequently ejected for making contact with Naz Reid’s face during a play, following an official review of the incident.
The Spurs built a commanding 18-point lead in the second quarter before cooling off, settling for a 12-point advantage at halftime. Minnesota rallied to tie the game at 61-61 four minutes into the third quarter, but San Antonio responded by scoring 30 of the final 42 points of the period, taking a 91-73 lead into the fourth quarter.
San Antonio stretched the margin to 20 early in the final frame. The Timberwolves answered with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 93-81 with 9:34 remaining, but they never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Keldon Johnson contributed 21 points off the bench for the Spurs, while De’Aaron Fox added 18, Stephon Castle scored 17, and Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper each tallied 12 points. Harper also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 20 points. Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle each scored 17, Ayo Dosunmu recorded 16, and Naz Reid finished with 12 points.
Wembanyama was on fire early, scoring 16 of the Spurs’ first 24 points as San Antonio built a 24-9 lead at the 6:17 mark of the first quarter. Minnesota weathered the storm, with Reid’s driving layup with 23 seconds left trimming the deficit to 34-30 after 12 minutes.
The Spurs opened the second quarter with nine straight points, capped by a three-point play from Castle, to push their lead to 43-30. San Antonio’s advantage grew to 58-40 after a Wembanyama alley-oop dunk with 3:24 remaining in the half, but the team missed its final eight shots of the quarter, allowing Minnesota to pull within 59-47 at the break.
Wembanyama posted a double-double in the first half alone, with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Fox added 12 points for San Antonio before halftime. Dosunmu’s nine points led the Timberwolves in the first half, while Reid and Edwards chipped in eight apiece.
Minnesota continued its surge at the start of the third quarter, tying the game at 61-61 at the 7:51 mark when Dosunmu’s layup capped a 14-2 run.
