LOS ANGELES, California — Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points as the San Antonio Spurs moved to within one win of the NBA Western Conference finals with an emphatic 126-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
French star Wembanyama was back in the Spurs lineup after escaping a suspension for his ejection in Game 4 on Sunday, when he smashed an elbow into the throat of Minnesota’s Naz Reid in a heavy defeat.
The towering 7 ft 4 in center took full advantage of that disciplinary reprieve on Tuesday, scoring 16 points in a blistering opening to the first quarter as San Antonio surged into a 24-9 lead.
Wembanyama finished the night with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a typically dominant performance at both ends of the court.
The victory leaves San Antonio 3-2 ahead in the best-of-seven series, with Game 6 in Minneapolis on Friday.
While Wembanyama’s individual brilliance grabbed the headlines, once again the Spurs’ strength in numbers proved decisive, with six players finishing in double figures.
“We played with the appropriate fear, discipline, execution, physicality and poise, and we had it from an array of people tonight, and it was really good to see,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said.
Keldon Johnson scored 21 points while De’Aaron Fox finished with 18 and point guard Stephon Castle 17.
“We did what we were supposed to do at home,” Wembanyama told NBC. “We had to set the tone, we knew it was going to be a physical game.
“We won, so that’s the point. But the job’s not finished. We’ve got one more game to get to the conference finals.”
Spurs coach Johnson praised Wembanyama’s maturity in not letting the turbulent aftermath of Game 4 affect his performance.
Minnesota were left ruing their inability to maintain momentum after a stirring third-quarter fightback.
Trailing 59-47 at halftime, Minnesota launched a 14-2 run to start the third that allowed them to tie it up at 61-61.
But the Wolves’ rally was the catalyst for another dominant passage of play from San Antonio, who regrouped and pulled away to take a 91-73 lead by the end of the quarter.
