Victor Wembanyama is the story. As he always is.
Fueled by his ejection in Game 4, he came out and set the tone from the opening tip, scoring 16 of the Spurs’ first 21 points as they raced out to a 21-9 lead.
However, the real difference in this series is depth.
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There were multiple points when the Timberwolves would make a run, and each time, a different Spurs player would step up and make plays to take control again. At one point it was Stephon Castle. At another it was Keldon Johnson. Another time it was Dylan Harper.
“We played with the appropriate fear, discipline, execution, physicality, poise,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “And I thought we had it from an array of people tonight and it was really good to see.”
The Timberwolves only get that kind of boost from Anthony Edwards, but nobody else is stepping up when they need it most.
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The result was the Spurs pulling away in the fourth quarter for a comfortable 126-97 win, giving them a 3-2 lead and just one more win away from the Western Conference Finals.
Game 6 is Friday night in Minnesota.
Wembanyama led the way for San Antonio with 27 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks on the night.
More than the stats, it was the tone he set. The Spurs were the more physical team on the night and dominated the paint — San Antonio won the points-in-the-paint battle 68-36.The Timberwolves shot just 47.4% in the paint on the night.
San Antonio got 21 points from Johnson off the bench, while De’Aaron Fox added 18 points and Castle 17. As a team, the Spurs shot 52.8% on the night and got downhill into the paint at will.
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Edwards led the Timberwolves with 20 points, while Julius Randle had another unimpressive game this series with 17 points but on 17 shot attempts, plus 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels also scored 17 for Minnesota but spent much of the night in foul trouble.
How San Antonio’s depth showed was in its response to even the slightest adversity. Minnesota would make runs, like when it cut the San Antonio lead to four, 34-30, at the end of the first quarter. Then the Spurs would respond, as they did with an 11-3 run to start the second quarter. By halftime, it was the Spurs by a dozen, 59-47.
Minnesota opens third quarter on a 14-2 run to tie the game — and they did it with Wembanyama on the court. Then the Spurs responded with an 11-2 run of their own, fueled by Johnson’s energy and six points from Castle.
It was like that all night, the young Spurs felt comfortable and made plays. And now they are one win away from the Western Conference Finals and a date with Oklahoma City.
