Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points as the San Antonio Spurs moved to within one win of the NBA Western Conference finals with an emphatic 126-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. French star Wembanyama was back in the Spurs line-up after escaping a suspension for his ejection in game four on Sunday, when he smashed an elbow into the throat of Minnesota’s Naz Reid in a heavy defeat.
The towering 7ft 4in center took full advantage of that disciplinary reprieve on Tuesday, scoring 16 points in a blistering opening to the first quarter as San Antonio surged into a 24-9 lead. Wembanyama finished the night with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a typically dominant performance at both ends of the court. The victory leaves San Antonio 3-2 ahead in the best-of-seven series, with game six in Minneapolis on Friday.
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While Wembanyama’s individual brilliance grabbed the headlines, once again the Spurs’ strength in numbers proved decisive, with six players finishing in double figures. “We played with the appropriate fear, discipline, execution, physicality and poise, and we had it from an array of people tonight, and it was really good to see,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. Keldon Johnson scored 21 points while De’Aaron Fox finished with 18 and point guard Stephon Castle 17.
“We did what we were supposed to do at home,” Wembanyama told NBC. “We had to set the tone, we knew it was going to be a physical game. We won, so that’s the point. But the job’s not finished. We’ve got one more game to get to the conference finals.” Spurs coach Johnson praised Wembanyama’s maturity in not letting the turbulent aftermath of game four affect his performance. “There’s a lot that happened in the last 48 hours after the last game,” Johnson said. “I think how that young man came out tonight and played in a variety of situations, not just in his production, was extremely mature.”
Minnesota were left ruing their inability to maintain momentum after a stirring third-quarter fightback. Trailing 59-47 at halftime, Minnesota launched a 14-2 run to start the third that allowed them to tie it up at 61-61. But the Wolves’ rally was the catalyst for another dominant passage of play from San Antonio, who regrouped and pulled away to take a 91-73 lead by the end of the quarter. “We went away from what was working,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said. “Then the defense just cratered — we gave up 30 points in the last six minutes of the third quarter. That’s my job, I’ve gotta get us back on track.”
San Antonio kept the points flowing in the fourth, outscoring Minnesota 35-24 to wrap up a deserved victory. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s scorers with 20 points while Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle finished with 17 points apiece. Edwards admitted that Minnesota had been powerless to stop Wembanyama’s early onslaught. “Some of the stuff that Wemby was doing, you just don’t really have too much of an answer for it,” Edwards said. “Just kind of hope he misses.”
© 2024 AFP
