The Western Conference Semifinals between the Spurs and the Timberwolves keeps providing memorable matchups. On Sunday, Victor Wembanyama’s first-half ejection threatened to create a throwaway game, but the Silver and Black responded without their best player and battled to the very end before losing a heartbreaker, 114-109. The series will move back to San Antonio for Game 5 tied 2-2.
Surprisingly, considering the event that will be most remembered from this game, the Spurs seemed like the calmer
and more disciplined team early on. They played with pace while still involving Victor Wembanyama both on and off the ball, with the pick and roll between the big man and Stephon Castle proving to be effective. On the defensive end San Antonio was not sending as much help as they did in past games but were getting some stops. The main thing keeping the Timberwolves in it in the opening few minutes were second-chance points. Alas, as it has happened often in the postseason, once the second unit checked in, the execution suffered and Minnesota upped the pressure to create turnovers. The momentum was swinging the home team’s way before Dylan Harper, who had a slow, erratic start, showed off his tremendous offensive talent to provide a boost. After one, the Wolves led by four on a surprisingly high-scoring affair.
Both teams quickly started to settle for too many jumpers to kick off the second quarter, but the Spurs were getting the better of their opponent until the incident that changed the game. Victor Wembanyama got an offensive rebound, was fouled, didn’t hear a whistle, and threw an elbow at Naz Reid that rightfully got him ejected. The rest of the half prectably consisted of the Wolves trying to get to the rim as much as possible, with Anthony Edwards attempting to take over. But the Silver and Black responded. Luke Kornet provided some good minutes, and the frenetic pace of the game when they went small favored them. There were some stretches when it seemed like Minnesota would pull away, but San Antonio’s guards always scored a timely bucket to keep up with their opponent, as Chris Finch’s guys fell for the trap of playing rushed. At the half, the Spur still trailed by four.
The circumstances were so favorable for them with Wembanyama out that it wasn’t shocking to see the Timberwolves come out of the locker room feeling a little complacent. The energetic Spurs made them pay for it by causing turnovers, and never looked scared as they hunted matchups and attacked their defenders one-on-one. The isolation-heavy style does not characterize San Antonio, but it worked well and led to Minnesota’s players trying to do the same, with many looking to be the hero of the night, to bad results. When Kornet had to rest, the team suffered from a lack of height, but tried to make up for it with timely traps for Anthony Edwards on defense and pace and aggression on the other end. Improbably, San Antonio won the third quarter and went into the final frame up four.
The chaotic nature of the game didn’t stop until the final buzzer. Edwards went off for 16 fourth-quarter points, and both Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert had good moments on offense, which normally would have meant that the Timberwolves were fully in control. It wasn’t the case. They took the lead with a shade under five minutes to go, but the Spurs’ guards responded a few times to take it back. Even after the home team managed to extend its buffer to seven heading into the final minute, San Antonio continued to fight and got it to three with 21 seconds to go. The deciding factor on what was often a sloppy but always hard-fought matchup was a catch from Ayo Dosunmu on a long inbound pass, as the ball bounced off his leg, allowing him to control it. In the end, despite the Silver and Black’s fantastic effort without their superstar, Minnesota won Game 4 to tie the series.
Game notes
- The Wembanyama ejection is hard to talk about because he absolutely deserved it, but his frustration leading up to it is also easy to understand. Wembanyama takes a beating every game. Opposing teams have stated that it’s their goal to be as physical with him as the officials allow. He had gotten hit with an elbow in a previous play and was clearly fouled on the rebound that led to him throwing the elbow. He could have seriously hurt Reid, so he got the punishment he deserved, but, as Mitch Johnson said after the game, “at some stage, he should be protected. And if not, he’s going to have to protect himself, and, unfortunately, stuff like that happens.”
- The guard trio was terrific on Sunday, stepping up to provide scoring. Fox, Castle, and Harper combined for 68 points. They all had their struggles at times, with Fox’s inability to hit shots in the clutch being the most notable, but they all not only scored but also defended and played with the pace the team needed to have a shot.
- The forwards, on the other hand, struggled. Julian Champagnie missed all of his five threes. Keldon Johnson had three turnovers. So did Carter Bryant, who did not get a favorable whistle at all, as the officials seemed intent on reminding him that he’s a rookie. Harrison Barnes didn’t make much of an impact in his 10 minutes. They all played extremely hard, like everyone else on the team, but didn’t make plays.
- Devin Vassell had a great Devin Vassell game. Even with the three guards dominating the ball, he still managed to log 14 points and three assists while hitting big shots and making some plays on defense. Vassell has settled into a small role in which he has to pick his spots on offense and do a little bit of everything else, and he delivered in the loss.
- Luke Kornet turns into a different player when Wembanyama is not available. He wasn’t having a good postseason in a very limited role, but he gave San Antonio a strong 27 minutes in this one. There were some mistakes, but overall, a terrific “next man up” night for Kornet.
- Anthony Edwards played 40 minutes and had 36 points in 22 shots. That’s a fantastic performance in ideal circumstances, but considering he’s playing through two knee injuries and is dealing with conditioning issues, it’s just insane.
Play of the game
Dylan Harper is going to be a superstar.
Game 5: at San Antonio on Tuesday
The Spurs will look to get a match point at home. Hopefully, Victor Wembanyama will be available and not suspended.
