By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs handed Minnesota its worst postseason loss in franchise history, beating the Timberwolves, 133-95, on Wednesday night, May 6, to even their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece.
“I just told them we got punked,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Stephon Castle had 21 points and De’Aaron Fox added 16 points for San Antonio, which shot 50% from the field and 41% on 3-pointers. It was the highest-scoring playoff game for the Spurs since a series-clinching 145-105 win over Denver on May 4, 1983.
Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. each scored 12 points for Minnesota.
Edwards came off the bench again as Minnesota continued to restrict his minutes in his second game back from a hyperextended left knee.
Games 3 and 4 are Friday and Sunday in Minneapolis.
With Wembanyama playing more aggressively on offense from the outset, the Spurs put the series-opening loss behind them quickly.
Minnesota’s previous largest postseason defeat was by 30 points to the Los Angeles Lakers on April 29, 2003.
Only the margin of victory was in doubt Monday as both teams sent their starters to the bench with 10 minutes remaining and the Spurs leading 104-66.
“I told the guys after the first game it’s the natural tendency for the team that steals the first game, the away team, to get blown out in Game 2,” Edwards said. “We can’t come out cool and we came out cool and what happened — we got blown out.”
After combining to score 21 points on 10-for-31 shooting in Game 1, Wembanyama and Fox combined to go 12 of 25 from the field Wednesday.
The All-Star duo scored the Spurs’ first 11 points as they raced to a 29-point lead in the first half.
“Just trying to set the tone,” Wembanyama said.
Fox finished 2 for 2 on 3-pointers after missing on four attempts in Game 1.
“We’re at our best when (Fox is) in attack mode,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnnson said. “He has probably the strongest ripple effect on our team in terms of when he’s in attack mode pushing the pace, because you have Steph (Castle) and Dylan (Harper) that follow suit with that. And then our shooters get shot in transition. Victor plays in space and so on and so forth.”
The Spurs missed their first three shots, but Wembanyama followed the third attempt by flying through the lane and throwing down a right-handed dunk to open the scoring.
Minnesota was held to 35 points in the first half. The Timberwolves shot 29.8% from the field before halftime and were 2 for 15 on 3-pointers as they fell behind by 25 points.
“I loved how everyone had everybody’s back (defensively),” Wembanyama said. “Tonight looked like a system that worked.”
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and helped New York seize control of a close game after a run of blowouts, leading the Knicks to a 108-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Playing without the injured Joel Embiid, the 76ers put up a far better fight than in the Knicks’ 137-98 romp in Game 1. The game featured 25 lead changes — the most in a playoff game in 11 years — and 14 ties. Neither team led by more than seven points.
“Most importantly it’s staying poised, staying composed,” Brunson said. “Just figuring out one just play at a time, one step at a time and not looking too far ahead.”
Those kinds of situations are made for Brunson, who made the tiebreaking basket with 5:06 remaining and added another jumper for a 103-99 advantage with 3:45 to play before Mikal Bridges’ basket made it a six-point game.
