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The noise inside Frost Bank Center started long before tipoff. Fans arrived anxious, restless and desperate to see how the San Antonio Spurs would respond after letting Game 4 slip away in Minneapolis. There had been frustration over Victor Wembanyama’s ejection. Questions about composure. Questions about whether the young Spurs were ready for the weight of a playoff series that suddenly felt even again.
By the end of Tuesday night, those doubts had been drowned out by cheers.
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The Spurs didn’t just beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5. They squeezed the life out of them. Behind a dominant performance from Wembanyama and one of their sharpest defensive efforts of the postseason, San Antonio rolled to a commanding 126-97 win to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
From the opening minutes, the Spurs played with the urgency of a team determined to erase the memory of Game 4. Every loose ball mattered, every defensive possession carried force, and Minnesota quickly discovered there would be no easy baskets.
Wembanyama set the tone immediately, patrolling the paint like a one-man wrecking crew. The 7-foot-4 star altered shots even when he didn’t block them, swallowed rebounds in traffic and punished the Timberwolves offensively whenever they sent smaller defenders at him.
By halftime, the building was alive. The Spurs were flying in transition, the defense was swarming and Minnesota looked rattled.
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Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, but the numbers hardly captured the control he had over the game. Every Minnesota mistake seemed to start with his presence somewhere nearby. And this time, he stayed on the floor to finish the job.
The Timberwolves made one brief push in the third quarter, cutting into the deficit just enough to create tension in the arena. For a moment, memories of missed opportunities and collapsing leads resurfaced.
Then San Antonio answered.
De’Aaron Fox pushed the tempo after a steal and found Stephon Castle for an easy finish. Moments later, Keldon Johnson exploded to the rim before delivering the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spurs-overwhelm-timberwolves-pivotal-game-033327619.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-13 03:33:00
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