Victor Wembanyama atoned for his first career ejection with a 27-point, 17-rebound effort as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 to take a 3-2 lead in the second-round series, the report says.
Keldon Johnson added 21 points while De’Aaron Fox had 18 and Stephon Castle scored 17 as San Antonio moved a game away from the Western Conference finals, the report says. The Spurs can advance to face Oklahoma City with a victory in Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis, the report says.
Wembanyama returned after being ejected early in the second quarter of Minnesota’s 114-109 victory in Game 4 when he received a flagrant foul 2 for elbowing Naz Reid in the throat, the report says. Tensions continued in Tuesday’s game when Reid was assessed a technical for pushing Wembanyama in the back on a Minnesota free throw with 2:24 left in the first half, per the report.
The push fired up Wembanyama, who was 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 on 3-pointers while scoring 18 points in the opening quarter, the report says. After being approached by Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu following a tangle with Jaden McDaniels in the first quarter, Wembanyama sprinted to the rim for a windmill dunk, the report says.
Minnesota opened the third quarter on a 14-2 run to tie the score after trailing by 18 in the first half, and the Timberwolves tipped away three attempted alley-oop passes to Wembanyama before they reached the 7-foot-4 post, the report says. The Spurs recaptured a double-digit lead in the third keyed by Johnson’s block on Rudy Gobert’s attempted dunk and his short jumper after bodying Anthony Edwards under the rim, the report says. Edwards finished with 20 points while Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels had 17 apiece, per the report.
