Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Wembanyama returned to action after being ejected in Game 4 for elbowing an opponent in the face. He expressed eagerness to return: "Very, very much. I was fresh, feeling good. Excitement is not something abnormal."
The Spurs led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter before settling for a 12-point halftime lead. Minnesota tied the game at 61-all early in the third quarter, but San Antonio responded with a 30-2 run to lead 91-73 entering the fourth.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch: "We went away from what was working, defense just cratered. In the last six minutes of the third quarter, it was ball contain stuff. That's on me."
San Antonio pushed the lead to 20 early in the fourth. Minnesota cut it to 93-81 with an 8-0 surge but never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Keldon Johnson added 21 points off the bench for the Spurs, De'Aaron Fox scored 18, Stephon Castle 17, and Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper 12 each. Harper also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson: "We played with the appropriate fear, discipline, execution, physicality, poise. Different guys stepped up at different moments."
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 20 points. Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle had 17 apiece, Ayo Dosunmu 16, and Naz Reid 12.
Wembanyama scored 16 of the Spurs' first 24 points as they built a 24-9 lead in the first quarter. Minnesota trimmed it to 34-30 by the end of the period.
The Spurs opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run to lead 43-30. After a Wembanyama alley-oop dunk made it 58-40, San Antonio missed its final eight shots of the half and led 59-47 at the break.
Wembanyama had a double-double by halftime with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Fox contributed 12 points.
Mitch Johnson on Wembanyama: "The word I'd use is 'mature.' A lot happened in the last 48 hours, but he played maturely in a variety of situations."
Minnesota tied the game 61-61 in the third quarter with a 14-2 run. Edwards: "Nobody in our locker room is worried. It's another basketball game."
Game 6 is Friday in Minneapolis, with Game 7 (if necessary) back in San Antonio on Sunday.
Source: www.aljazeera.com