The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t make it easy, but the San Antonio Spurs have a 2-1 series lead.
Behind a superb night from Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs posted a 115-108 win in Game 3 on Friday to put their opponent on the ropes in the Western Conference semifinals. They will go for a 3-1 lead in Game 4 on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock).
Wembanyama finished with 39 points on 13-of-18 shooting with 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, easily the best playoff performance of his career after seven games.
Here’s the complete list of players who had posted at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single playoff game before Friday: Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
It briefly looked like it would be easy for the Spurs, who opened the game with an 18-3 run to quiet the Target Center. That crowed got louder, however, when the Timberwolves responded with a 19-5 run to close the first quarter.
The Timberwolves understood what they needed to do. The Spurs couldn’t be allowed to get comfortable. Wembanyama had to be challenged every time he was near the ball. Their ballhandlers had to be harassed at every opportunity. Even with the officials allowing a physical game, the two teams were called for a combined 48 fouls.
The Spurs managed to survive, with some toughness of their own and Wembanyama’s heroics pushing them the rest of the way.
Stephon Castle supplied 13 points and 12 assists. He also got into it with the Timberwolves’ chief aggravator, exchanging shoves with Jaden McDaniels in the third quarter.
There were also some words exchanged between Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and crew chief Tony Brothers, which Finch called “completely unprofessional” after the game.
If there’s a silver lining for Minnesota, it’s that Anthony Edwards is looking close to 100%. He made his first start Friday since returning from a knee injury that threatened his availability this series and wound up posting a team-high 32 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists in 41 minutes.
The Timberwolves might need even more if they want to survive this series, based on how Wembanyama was looking.
