Victor Wembanyama responded to the first playoff ejection of his career with one of the best postseason games ever by a player his age, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 126-97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 on Tuesday night at Frost Bank Center.
The 22-year-old finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks as San Antonio took a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. According to NBA playoff history, only Magic Johnson and Luka Doncic were younger when recording that statistical line in a postseason game.
Game 4 had ended with frustration for Wembanyama after he was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul against Naz Reid in Minneapolis. Two nights later, the Spurs star answered with complete control on both ends of the floor.
The French center scored 18 points in the opening quarter alone, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and hitting two 3-pointers as San Antonio immediately seized momentum. Minnesota had no answer for his combination of size, mobility and shot creation around the rim.
The physical tone from Game 4 carried over into Tuesday’s matchup. Reid received a technical foul late in the second quarter after pushing Wembanyama in the back during a free-throw sequence, adding another layer to a series that has become increasingly heated.
San Antonio looked in full control after building an 18-point first-half lead, but Minnesota stormed back to open the third quarter. The Timberwolves used a 14-2 run to tie the game at 61, disrupting several alley-oop attempts intended for Wembanyama and briefly shifting the energy inside the arena.
The response from the Spurs was immediate.
Keldon Johnson delivered one of the defining sequences of the night when he blocked Rudy Gobert on a dunk attempt before scoring on the other end after muscling through Anthony Edwards in transition. That stretch sparked another San Antonio surge that Minnesota never recovered from.
Johnson finished with 21 points off the bench on 8-for-11 shooting, while De’Aaron Fox added 18 points and five assists. Rookie guard Stephon Castle continued his strong postseason run with 17 points and six assists.
The Spurs shot 53% from the field, outrebounded Minnesota 50-42 and recorded eight blocks. San Antonio also held an opponent under 100 points for the fifth time in 10 playoff games this postseason, reinforcing the defensive identity that helped the club finish 62-20 during the regular season.
Edwards finished with 20 points for Minnesota after scoring only eight in the first half. Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels each scored 17, but the Timberwolves shot just 39% overall and 27% from three-point range.
Now the pressure shifts back to Minneapolis.
The Spurs are one victory away from reaching the Western Conference finals, where the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder await. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night at Target Center.
