The San Antonio Spurs landed in Minneapolis at 3 a.m. on Sunday, and but for 3 quarters of basketball, they appeared just like the extra energetic workforce. Each the Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves had been on the second sport of a back-to-back, and preventing for place within the Western Convention standings. The Wolves useless within the water, down 19 factors in the course of the third quarter, till they flipped a change to return all the way in which again to defeat the Spurs 104-103.
The Timberwolves’ physicality overwhelmed the Spurs within the fourth quarter, outscoring them 33-18 within the last body. Till that time, the Spurs’ protection had fully disrupted Minnesota, they usually acquired simply sufficient offense, because of an enormous evening from Victor Wembanyama, to construct a lead. As soon as the Wolves began hitting threes and forcing turnovers, the sport shortly acquired away from San Antonio.
“They (Minnesota) have a knack for turning it on after they get down just a little bit or when it will get to be crunch time,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson mentioned. “They’re a troublesome out, and I assumed they acquired the higher of us within the fourth quarter.”
San Antonio appeared like two completely different groups on Sunday evening: one which was almost unattainable to attain on with Wembanyama on the ground, and one which was flustered with out him. The Spurs began the sport on a 16-0 run with Wembanyama returning to the beginning lineup. When he went to the bench, the Wolves responded with a 9-2 run. Wemby was a +17 in his 27 minutes, whereas his backup, Luke Kornet, was -21 in his 23 minutes.
Wembanyama was in all places defensively, forcing the Wolves to move the ball away or throw up unhealthy pictures across the rim. He didn’t register a block, however he had 3 steals and altered loads of seems across the rim. Offensively, he appeared assured in opposition to fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert. Wembanyama led the Spurs in scoring with 29 factors, 10 of them approaching good capturing from the free-throw line.
Wembanyama was dominant till the fourth quarter, when Julius Randle turned his major defender. Randle acquired into Wemby’s chest and didn’t relent for the entire quarter, making every part extraordinarily arduous for the Spurs’ huge man. Whereas Wemby wasn’t scoring, the Wolves had been surging again with three-point capturing and scoring off turnovers. Minnesota knocked down 4 three-pointers in comparison with the Spurs’ one within the fourth, and compelled San Antonio to cough the ball up 7 occasions within the last body.
San Antonio relied on Wembanyama’s scoring whereas their guard trio of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Fort, and Dylan Harper struggled. The trio was a mixed 8-35 from the sphere in opposition to the Wolves. If it weren’t for Fox’s clutch scoring within the fourth quarter, it may have been a lot worse. The Spurs’ younger guards, Fort and Harper, have struggled to discover a rhythm in January – Sunday evening’s sport felt just like the low level.
“A part of it’s they’re lacking some good pictures, and a part of it, particularly for the youthful two guys, is they should be taught their steadiness of what this sport calls upon when you’ve the basketball in your fingers quite a bit,” Johnson mentioned. “Whether or not that’s being aggressive, whether or not that’s understanding time and rating, whether or not that’s on time and on course passes to your teammates, whether or not that’s getting the ball out of your fingers early to let your teammates contact it and discover vitality all through the possession for everyone else. There’s stuff that they must undergo. It’s not completely different than after they had been flying excessive, and the field scores had been full. That’s a part of the deal when you find yourself 19 and 21 on this league.”
Regardless of ceding a 14-point fourth-quarter lead, the Spurs had an opportunity to win the sport with 16.8 seconds to go on the clock. After an Anthony Edwards (who had a team-high 23 factors) floater put the Wolves up 1, Johnson known as a timeout to attract up a play. The Spurs tried to change Randle off Wembanyama for a high-post isolation play, however Randle fought by way of the display screen and acquired into Wembanyama’s chest, forcing a contested fadeaway that missed. After Julian Champagnie secured the offensive rebound, he kicked the ball again to Fox, who was broad open on the prime of the important thing. His three-pointer was lengthy because the clock expired.
The loss is the Spurs’ fifth-straight to the Timberwolves. It places Minnesota a sport and a half behind the Spurs for the second seed within the Western Convention. San Antonio falls to 27-12 with the loss. Up subsequent, they’ll journey to Oklahoma Metropolis with a matchup in opposition to the Thunder on Tuesday. The Spurs are 3-0 in opposition to the league-best Thunder.
