Spurs young star ejected as Timberwolves force playoff tiebreaker

Minnesota Timberwolves Defeat San Antonio Spurs in Western Conference Semifinals

The Minnesota Timberwolves secured a 114-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night at home, tying the Western Conference semifinals series at two games apiece. Anthony Edwards led the team with 36 points, scoring 16 of those in the fourth quarter.

Victor Wembanyama’s ejection in the second quarter proved to be a turning point for Minnesota. The Spurs star was called for a flagrant 2 foul after delivering an elbow into Naz Reid’s chin, resulting in an automatic ejection. Reid also suffered an injury on the play.

The Timberwolves’ bench contributed significantly, with Naz Reid scoring 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Jaden McDaniels added 14 points, while Julius Randle scored 12. Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota.

De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper led the Spurs in scoring, each with 24 points. Stephon Castle added 20 points, and Devin Vassell tallied 14 points for San Antonio.

Coach Chris Finch praised his team’s resilience, saying, “We never expected them just to go away.” The Timberwolves’ coach acknowledged that the Spurs are a “very good, very good team.”

The game was closely contested, with the Spurs trailing by seven before Harper made two free throws with 29.1 seconds left to bring San Antonio within 112-109. However, Dosunmu answered with two free throws with 9.8 seconds left as Minnesota closed it out.

In a post-game press conference, Edwards attributed the Timberwolves’ win to “small-time plays” that ultimately won big-time games. The team’s coach, Chris Finch, credited a timely substitution by Finchie for putting in Ayo Dosunmu in the final minute and a half with helping secure the victory.

The series now heads back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Source: Al Jazeera