SAN ANTONIO Spurs moved closer to NBA Western Conference Finals after a 126-97 rout of Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of conference semifinals on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) in San Antonio, Texas.
Victor Wembanyama marked his return from a shortened Game 4 with a double-double of 27 points and 17 rebounds to go with five assists and four blocks as the Spurs took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Keldon Johnson added 21 markers, DeAaron Fox and Stephon Castle contributed 18 and 17 points, respectively, while Filipino-American guard Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell tallied 12 apiece for the Spurs.
From a slim 34-30 lead after the opening quarter, the Spurs started to create separation from the Timberwolves in the second frame as they established a 59-47 halftime lead.
The Timberwolves countered with a huge run in the third period to tie the score at 61-all, but the Spurs quickly regained their offense as they widened the advantage to 91-73.
The Spurs continued its rampage in the final quarter as the lead reached 30 points late in the game at 123-93 via a triple by Lindy Waters III and an inside hit from Bismack Biyombo.
“We played with the appropriate fear, discipline, execution, physicality, poise. And I thought we had it from an array of people tonight and it was really good to see,” said Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 20 points, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels added 17 markers apiece, while Ayo Dosunmu and Naz Reid had 16 and 12 points, respectively./PN
BOX SCORE
SAN ANTONIO 126 — Wembanyama 27, Johnson 21, Fox 18, Castle 17, Vassell 12, Harper 12, Champagnie 8, Bryant 3, Waters 3, Biyombo 2, Kornet 0, Barnes 0, McLaughlin 0.
MINNESOTA 97 — Edwards 20, Randle 17, McDaniels 17, Dosunmu 16, Reid 12, Conley 5, Gobert 4, Beringer 3, Shannon 2, Anderson 1, Clark 0, Hyland 0, Phillips 0.
Quarterscores: 34-30, 59-47, 91-73, 126-97.
