By Matija Šerić
The NBA playoffs are heating up, bringing both joy and disappointment (depending on fan allegiance), but they are definitely becoming more and more exciting as they progress. On the night from Friday to Saturday, San Antonio defeated Minnesota away in Game 6 of the semifinal series, winning the series 4–2 and securing a place in the Western Conference Finals. There they will face the reigning champions Oklahoma, but the Spurs will have plenty to say about that. A look at the final game against the Timberwolves, which they won 139–109, shows just how powerful, attractive, and inspiring Mitch Johnson’s team is.
Timberwolves failed to pull off another upset
After eliminating the favored Denver led by superstars Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, some analysts believed Minnesota might also get past San Antonio and reach the conference finals. That did not happen, even though Anthony Edwards returned from injury for Chris Finch’s team. Unfortunately, excellent shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo was unavailable and is expected to be out for about a year.
The Timberwolves took a 1–0 lead, the Spurs turned it around to 2–1, Minnesota tied it at 2–2, and then San Antonio took a 3–2 lead at home in the Frost Bank Center. Game 6 was played at the Target Center. The Timberwolves tried to force a return to Texas, but failed.
Spurs’ shooting brilliance
The Spurs were dominant from the start. With the presence of the rare center Victor Wembanyama, the penetration, playmaking, and shooting skills of De’Aaron Fox (nine assists and 8–10 shooting), the sharpshooting of Stephon Castle (11–16 from the field), and the two-way versatility of Devin Vassell, they were too much for Minnesota.
By the end of the first quarter, the Spurs led 36–27, and at halftime 74–61. Conceding over 70 points in the first half showed that the home team’s defense (Ayo Dosunmu, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert) was not functioning. The Spurs tore Minnesota apart with perimeter shooting. Castle hit his first five three-point attempts. Fox was perfect from deep (3–3), and Julian Champagnie added four threes.
Castle, Fox, and Wemby made the difference
Wemby was heavily guarded by Minnesota players, which is why he scored “only” 19 points with six assists in 27 minutes on the court. His defensive impact is significant, and his mere presence confused the opposition. Wemby brings a level of quality that often cannot be measured by traditional statistics. At 224 cm with exceptional athleticism, he is a nightmare matchup for any opponent.
Because of Minnesota’s focus on the French star, other Spurs players were able to shine. Castle finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Fox added 21 points and nine assists, Champagnie 18, and Vassell 11. From the bench, Luke Kornet contributed six points and six rebounds.
A weak Minnesota performance
For the Timberwolves, Edwards led the way with 24 points, but his shooting was poor—he made only nine of 26 attempts. Naz Reid added 18 points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench, while Terrence Shannon Jr. also impressed with 21 points.
However, all starters except Edwards played poorly. Jaden McDaniels scored 13 points, Julius Randle only three (1–8 shooting), and Rudy Gobert shockingly failed to score at all (0–4 shooting).
Spurs’ shooting and rebounding dominance
The Spurs won due to better field-goal shooting (56% to 38%), more three-pointers (18 to 12), and dominance in rebounding (60 to 29). At one point they led by 37 points, and by the third quarter the game was already decided. The final score of 139–109 reflects the reality on the court.
Eight minutes before the end, Edwards made an unusual gesture—he walked to the opposing bench during live play and congratulated every Spurs player on advancing. It was a highly sportsmanlike gesture, received with both admiration and criticism since the game was still ongoing. Still, it is good to see great players able to acknowledge defeat and shake hands with winners. Edwards apparently believes the Spurs can win the NBA title.
Minnesota experiences burnout
“We felt like over time in this series we simply ran out of ammunition,” said Minnesota coach Finch. He is absolutely right. In other words, the Timberwolves ran out of solutions as the series progressed. After herculean efforts to eliminate the strong Nuggets 4–2 and taking two wins against San Antonio, they could not go further.
Game 5 was a 29-point loss, and Game 6 ended with a 30-point defeat. The absence of DiVincenzo was clearly felt.
Wemby and Johnson show maturity and avoid overconfidence
“We’ve learned something from this short playoff experience. I think we prepared as well as possible and put ourselves in the best position,” said Wembanyama after the game.
Most players, including him, had never played in the playoffs before, yet they are performing brilliantly. When asked about the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wemby added: “Of course we are confident, but we need to keep the right level of confidence. Right now I’m not thinking about that at all—I’m focused only on recovery.”
Coach Johnson said: “We were aware of our potential and our goal was to maximize ourselves as a team. These guys in the locker room have fully committed to each other and to the team—it’s really a pleasure to watch a group function like that.”
Spurs are slight favorites against the Thunder
The Spurs completely dominated the series, outscoring Minnesota by +97 overall and never once being behind by double digits. That is proof of San Antonio’s strength. In the first round they eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers 4–1.
The series against the Thunder will be the toughest challenge. This season, the Spurs recorded four wins and only one loss in head-to-head matchups. No team has shown better how OKC can be beaten. The matchup clearly favors San Antonio. Wemby provides the key advantage alongside Vassell and Castle.
However, the conference finals will be the biggest test, as the Thunder will be eager to prove that their 1–4 season record against the Spurs does not reflect their true quality.
