Naz Reid did not sound like a player shaken by contact or momentum swings in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 114-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Target Center. Instead, his postgame tone reflected a team leaning into physical playoff basketball.
“Pain is weakness leaving the body. That’s it,” Reid said after absorbing a heavy elbow to the neck area from Victor Wembanyama, a moment that helped define the game’s intensity before the Spurs star was ejected in the second quarter.
Reid still finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and he emphasized that his impact went far beyond scoring in a game that tied the second-round series at 2-2. “I’m just hooping for real,” he said. “Just trying to make plays.”
That mindset showed in Minnesota’s late-game execution, where Reid’s activity around the rim became a key stabilizer after early turnovers and a third-quarter Spurs run. He described his role without hesitation or ego.
“I do more than scoring,” Reid said. “I’m just trying to make plays wherever I can, whether it’s passing, rebounding, diving on the floor, helping my teammates get to the basket, screening, whatever I could do.”
Reid’s versatility mattered most in the closing minutes, when Minnesota leaned into bigger lineups featuring him alongside Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert. When asked about those combinations, he downplayed the structure entirely.
“I ain’t even notice that,” Reid said. “I’m just hooping for real.”
That simplicity matched Minnesota’s approach in a game defined by physicality and shifting matchups after Wembanyama’s exit changed San Antonio’s defensive identity. Anthony Edwards noted earlier that the Spurs “play a lot more loose when he’s not on the floor,” but Reid focused on the Timberwolves’ internal adjustments instead.
Even after the elbow that briefly shifted momentum and raised the physical tone of the series, Reid returned to the floor and continued to attack loose possessions and second-chance opportunities. Minnesota repeatedly leaned on those extra efforts to stay within striking distance during Spurs scoring bursts led by De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.
Reid’s impact also came in small, decisive sequences late in the fourth quarter. His rebounding and willingness to absorb contact helped Minnesota extend possessions and slow San Antonio’s comeback attempts.
Anthony Edwards later singled out Reid’s consistency, saying, “He dives on the floor. He does all the little things that other people don’t want to do.”
Reid’s response to the physicality never wavered during the game or afterward. When asked directly about the hit he absorbed, his answer remained unchanged in tone and message.
“Pain is weakness leaving the body. That’s it,” he repeated.
