Even with Anthony Edwards on a minutes restriction, the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to come into the Frost Bank Center and steal both Game 1 and home court advantage from the Spurs. The style of play on display in that game was what was expected of the series from the outset: hard-fought, physical games that would likely need to be won on the margins and boy was Game 1 decided on the margins. Meh offensive showings from both Victor Wembanyama and DeAaron Fox coupled with a handful of lackadaisical
turnovers (Spurs were +3 in the turnover department) were ultimately the difference in a game that San Antonio still had a chance to win at the buzzer. With Games 3 and 4 in Minnesota and with just a day between each of these games, it is imperative that San Antonio finds a way tonight to pull even in this series against a Minnesota team that’s trying to make their 3rd straight trip to the Western Conference Finals. This will be the first time this young squad is playing from behind in a best of 7 series, and while the pressure valve hasn’t popped yet, a loss tonight against a veteran Timberwolves squad could see it blown wide open.
San Antonio Spurs (0-1) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (1-0)
May 6 2026 | 8:30 PM CT
Watch: ESPN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Line: -9.5
Spurs Injuries: Carter Bryant, foot (QUESTIONABLE)
Twolves Injuries: Anthony Edwards, knee (QUESTIONABLE), Ayo Dosunmu, calf (QUESTIONABLE)
What to watch for
- DeAaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama said all the right things in the aftermath of Game 1, with Fox in particular shouldering the bulk of the loss on his shoulders. Fox finished with just 10 points and had 6 of San Antonio’s 13 turnovers, with a few egregious ones of the live ball variety in the 2nd half where it looked like he was playing with basically no urgency. Wemby meanwhile was a demon defensively, setting the playoff record for most blocks in a game in just his 4th ever playoff game, but shot just 5/17 from the field and was 0/8 from downtown. Knowing that this time of year often comes down to your best players playing at their best, expect Mitch Johnson to try and get those two guys back on track early tonight offensively.
- For all the talk about San Antonio not having anyone to contend with Julius Randle, they did a solid job on him for the most part. Randle went just 8/20 from the field and took just 6 free throw attempts for the game. Where he excelled though what using his size and bulk to both pick up a few fouls on various Spurs’ defenders and to slow the pace down for Minnesota at the end of the game. San Antonio wings that get caught on him need to clean up some of those reach-ins and to continue to goad Randle into face-up jumpers.
- A few times in Game 1 it looked like Anthony Edwards was in some discomfort, but for the most part he looked very much like the Anthony Edwards people have come to expect. Just 9 days removed from a leg hyperextension, Edwards was limited to just 25 minutes off the bench, but his presence was felt in all of them. He went 8/13 from the field for 18 points, scoring in a variety of ways and putting all the worries about his health at that moment to rest. Whether or not Edwards will be as fresh in a Game 2 that takes place just 48 hours later as opposed to the 9 days off he had before Game 1 though remains to be seen.
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