Victor Wembanyama admitted the San Antonio Spurs were left with mixed feelings after a 126-123 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, as a 25-point advantage nearly disappeared despite Wembanyama’s 39 points and Anthony Edwards delivering a 55-point career night in a dramatic Western Conference matchup.
The Spurs improved their record with back-to-back NBA wins, yet Wembanyama stressed that the narrow escape showed how much work remains if San Antonio hopes to stay near the leading pack in the Western Conference, especially against opponents like Minnesota who recently overturned a deficit on 12 January.
The whole story of the game is we let the lead get away. What's important is to figure out what we want to get to in those moments because
we talk about it a lot. We know it's a problem, and I know our mind is in the right place. But we've got to know where to get to. We're not fully satisfied. It's a nuanced win because they [played a] back-to-back. They had some stars sitting out. There's a lot we have to correct, but it's still a win, and that's the main thing to focus on.
San Antonio’s advantage was built during a dominant second quarter from Wembanyama, who produced 20 points in that period alone, including a personal run of 11 straight points, giving the San Antonio Spurs a 25-point cushion at half-time before the Timberwolves began their response.
Edwards kept the Minnesota Timberwolves in contention with a 19-of-33 shooting display, including 9-of-16 from beyond the arc, surpassing the previous career high of 53 points set against the Detroit Pistons last January, while also recording the highest-scoring game this season for any player on a losing team.
They've got Wemby, Edwards said. He's supposed to be the face of the league. So, I've always got to get up for that one. I loved it. I wish we could have just moved everybody out the way and just checked upme versus him.
The Minnesota Timberwolves almost repeated their comeback win from 12 January, storming back from 25 points down to trail just 119-118 late in the fourth quarter, but the San Antonio Spurs answered with the next five points and protected the lead in the final possessions.
| Team / Player | Points | Field Goals | 3-point shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs | 126 | - | - |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 123 | - | - |
| Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) | 39 | - | - |
| Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) | 55 | 19-of-33 | 9-of-16 |
It was fun, Wembanyama said. Not the most fun, but it was a fun game for sure. And this one is worth a lot because of the way the West looks right now.
210, SAY IT WITH US: W @FrostBank | #sponsored pic.twitter.com/4Z90vXkVseSan Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 18, 2026
The San Antonio Spurs left the court with a valuable Western Conference win and standout numbers from Wembanyama, yet also with clear concerns about closing out games, while the Minnesota Timberwolves saw Edwards deliver a huge scoring performance that still could not overturn San Antonio’s early control.
