Game 1 went down to the wire, the Spurs lost on a missed Champagnie buzzer beater. Afterwards, there was no heads hung, no self deprication, just an urgency to watch film and make the necessary adjustments before heading into Game 2.
Matthew Tynan of Corporate Knowledge reported that Spurs legend Gregg Popovich sat in on the film sessions. Victor Wembanyama referenced Pop in his post game presser, mentioning “you’re never as good as you think when you win and you’re never as bad as you think when you lose.”
Whatever was deciphered from the analysis of Game 1, the Spurs know that had to come out swinging. And that’s exactly what they did.
The Spurs defense stiffled the Timberwolves, limiting them to 17 first quarter points and just 35 at the half, giving the Silver & Black a 24 point advantage.
Two minutes into the second half, the Spurs expanded their lead to 29 points. By then, Wembanyama, Castle, and Fox each had scored 14 points. The balanced distribution shaped the team’s attack as they continued to dominate Minnesota.
Anthony Edwards, coming off the bench for the second game in a row, was limited to 12 points in his twenty-four minutes.
Julian Champagnie, who went scoreless in the first half, hit four three-pointers in the third quarter as the Spurs shut down Minnesota.
Early in the fourth quarter the Spurs lead grew to 40 and both teams emptied their benches. Jordan McLaughlin and Kelly Olynyk played the final 10 minutes of regulation. Lindy Waters III joined them with 8:23 left in the game. Even Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee got in on the action relieving Carter Bryant anfd Harrison Barnes for the final 3:12.
Afterwards, head coach Mitch Johnson praised the team’s defensive “consistency, physicality, and contact” adding that the team was ready for tonight’s game despite losing home court advantage.
The team now heads to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday night. They will need to carry the win without resting on their laurels. As visitors, they’ll have an arena against them. Although they faced the Trail Blazers in Portland, the Minnesota crowd will be even more vocal and uninviting. They now need to prepare for the challenge ahead.
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