Julius Randle scored 21 points and Anthony Edwards came off the bench to add 18 as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 104-102 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night in San Antonio.
Minnesota was bolstered by the return of Edwards, who sustained a bone bruise in his left knee on April 25 and was expected to miss multiple weeks. Coach Chris Finch said Edwards was fine with coming off the bench and did a good job staying in the flow despite minutes restrictions.
San Antonio led by three after three quarters. Edwards scored 11 of Minnesota's first 19 points in the fourth quarter before the Timberwolves went on a 7-0 run capped by a Mike Conley 3-pointer with 4:42 left to take a 95-86 lead. Victor Wembanyama's dunk with 43.6 seconds left cut the deficit to four, and Dylan Harper's steal and layup with 30.9 seconds remaining made it 102-100. After a Randle miss, the Spurs opted not to call a timeout and got the ball to Julian Champagnie, whose 3-point attempt at the buzzer hit the front rim and bounced away.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, "Dylan did a good job pushing the ball and kicking it ahead. Julian had a fly-by and had a shot in rhythm. No problem with the shot. I hope he shoots it every time."
Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr added 16 points each for Minnesota. Naz Reid and Conley had 12 points apiece, with Randle and Rudy Gobert grabbing 10 rebounds each. Harper led the Spurs with 18 points, while Stephon Castle and Champagnie scored 17 each. Devin Vassell had 14 points, and Wembanyama recorded an 11-point, 15-rebound, 12-blocked-shots triple-double despite going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Keldon Johnson also had 11 points for San Antonio.
Game 2 will be contested on Wednesday in San Antonio. Games 3 and 4 will be in Minneapolis on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
In the Eastern Conference, Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half as the New York Knicks routed the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of their semifinal series. The Knicks became just the second team in NBA history to end one playoff series and begin another with consecutive victories by at least 30 points, joining the 1986 Boston Celtics. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York.
Source: www.aljazeera.com