-
Michael C. Wright
San Antonio–Déjà vu entered, but Victor Wembanyama and this San Antonio Spurs Had other plans Saturday to overcome career-high 55-point performance Anthony Edwards stop for one win 126-123 Over Minnesota.
According to ESPN Research, Wembanyama scored a team-high 39 points for the Spurs in a contest in which the Stars combined for 94 points, the most by opposing former No. 1 picks in the modern draft era (1966).
“It was fun,” Vembanyama said. “Not the most fun, but it was definitely a fun game. And it’s very valuable because of the way the West looks right now.”
Six days earlier at the Target Center in Minneapolis, the Spurs had blown a 16–0 lead and lost a 19-point lead on a runner off the glass by Edwards with 16.8 seconds remaining. Edwards almost played spoiler again at Frost Bank Center.
The 24-year-old scored 26 points in the fourth quarter, the second-highest scoring output in any quarter by a Timberwolves player in the play-by-play era (1997–98), according to ESPN Research.
Edwards’ 55-point night is the most points by a player in a loss this season.
“He’s got Wembley,” Edwards said. “He’s considered the face of the league. So, I always have to be ready for that. I love it. I wish we could just take everyone out and just check up — me versus him.”
The third match between the teams was played in this manner. After the Minnesota guard rallied his team from a 25-point deficit, Wembanyama and Edwards traded baskets twice in the final three minutes.
“This team has done it [us] “Everyone remembers and expected an adjustment or an increase to what we’re going to see, and that’s what happened,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. We let them get back in the game, and they’re a tough group, especially when you let them go like that.
The Timberwolves took their first lead of the second half on an 11-footer from Edwards with 3:28 remaining. Wembanyama responded with an 18-footer on San Antonio’s next possession to tie the score at 110.
“Vic hit some big shots, and that’s what happens,” the Spurs forward said. keldon johnsonWho contributed 20 points, including a 3-pointer with 17.3 seconds remaining. “They made it a dogfight, and we made some big plays down the stretch.”
Wembanyama produced the most impressive quarter for his team in nearly 40 years, as San Antonio took a 25-point lead at halftime. He scored 20 points in the second quarter – including 11 straight points in 2:06 – as the Spurs outscored Minnesota 48–22 in the frame.
The outburst marked the most points scored by San Antonio in a quarter since November 20, 1987, when the Spurs dropped 48 points in the final frame of a loss to Denver. According to ESPN Research, the 48-point quarter against the Timberwolves tied for the fourth-most points scored in any quarter since the franchise joined the NBA (1976–77).
Wembanyama fell one point short of equaling his season high of 40 points, which he scored in the season opener against Dallas.
Minnesota, meanwhile, played without its starting center. Rudy Gobert (Left hip injury). Ahead Naz Reed The team announced that he left Saturday’s contest midway through the first half due to soreness in his left shoulder.
“The whole story of the game is that we let the lead get away,” Wembanyama said. “The key is to figure out what we want to achieve in those moments because we talk about it a lot. We know it’s a problem, and I know our minds are in the right place.
“But we know where to get to. We’re not completely satisfied. It’s a subtle victory because they [played a] back to back. Some stars were sitting near him. We have a lot of things to fix, but it’s still a win and that’s the main thing to focus on.”
