For the last few seasons, it has felt at times as if the Minnesota Timberwolves were truly knocking on the door to the title. They’ve certainly been in the mix: they made back to back Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025, beating some impressive teams and names along the way to coming up just short of the franchise’s first Finals appearance and having to settle for runner-up out West. To their credit, they haven’t been afraid to swing for the fences since coming to the realization that Anthony
Edwards is a bona fide top 10 talent with MVP potential, shaking the roster up seemingly every off-season to position themselves to try and get over the hump. Their most recent swing, the one that sent long-time 6th man Naz Reid to Charlotte and landed them LaMelo Ball, had fans scratching their heads at a move for a player in Ball that many view as obviously talented but seemingly distracted. With Edwards (who was limited in last year’s second round series against the Spurs) now sidelined though after just 4 games for the foreseeable future with a knee issue that required surgery, it’s all too likely that Minnesota will struggle both on the court and in the standings.
For San Antonio, the Edwards injury is yet another devastating blow to a likely playoff team and potential Finals contender. With teams like Minnesota and Oklahoma City already saddled with injuries to key players, there’s a real opportunity for the Spurs to build some momentum in the standings even in the early weeks of the season. After their 0-2 start Victor Wembanyama and the squad seem to be getting on track during this current early season 3-game winning streak. Can they keep the momentum going tonight against a T-Wolves team playing without their best player?
San Antonio Spurs (3-2) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2)
October 31 2026 | 7:00 PM CT
Watch: DAZN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Line: Spurs -11.5
Spurs Injuries: Tobias Harris, calf (OUT)
Timberwolves Injuries: Anthony Edwards, knee (OUT), Dante DiVincenzo, Achilles (OUT)
What to watch for
- Victor Wembanyama has been dominating inside the last few games, matching a career-best 9 dunks in each of the last two games, but Minnesota might have something to say about his recent dunk party. They boast a familiar face in Rudy Gobert, a fellow DPOY-winning 7-footer and Wembanyama’s close friend and countrymen. Wembanyama has given Gobert all he can handle going back to last season and especially in their second round matchup in the playoffs where Wembanyama averaged 19.8 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks a game on 51% shooting against Minnesota. That being said, the likelihood of the 4-time DPOY winner Gobert letting his little brother get 9 dunks on his team has to be slim, right? Maybe Wemby will have to settle for just 5 dunks instead!
- The idea Minnesota had when they made the move for LaMelo Ball was for him to be the sort of dynamic ball handler and secondary playmaker that Edwards has been missing since coming into the league. Whether or not Ball was the right wing to go after remains to be seen, but surely the Timberwolves weren’t counting on Ant-Man to miss the sort of time he’s projected to be out. Not that the Charlotte Hornets have been the epitome of excellence (at ANY point), but the league has seen what LaMelo-focused squads have been capable of. Whether or not Minnesota can keep pace with the rest of the West in Edwards’ absence will largely depend on if Ball can cutback on some of the negative plays that have defined his career to this point. With as much talent as he has, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility that things could click. For now, the ball will be in his hands often.
- The Spurs are running a ton of inverted pick and rolls to start the season with Wemby handling the ball and Stephon Castle coming to set the screen. Castle has been awesome as the short roller, and it’s been an extremely creative way at getting the ball to him in the middle of the paint where he wants to get to anyway. His size and hops give him a unique ability to catch the ball with the defense right up on him guarding the roll, giving him runway to attack and create something head-on. Watching them explore their pick and roll game the last few years has been awesome to experience, seeing the fruit that was planted by that work by two very special young players has been beyond exciting.
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