In a battle of elite starpower, the teams conducted a scorched net exhibition before Minnesota pulled away at the start of the fourth quarter and finished off the Spurs off 125-112. In a first half chock full of runs by both teams - often one after another - San Antonio benefitted from a 16-2 advantage in points-off-turnovers in the first half to earn a small advantage. And while the Spurs held a slight lead going into the fourth, they were overwhelmed by a good chunk of Minnesota’s 17 3’s for the night in the last 12 minutes.
De’Aaron Fox (25 points and 4 assists) again led San Antonio, while Devin Vassell (22 points and 3 assists) continued to show off his shooting prowess to end the 2-2 road trip. Keldon Johnson (22 points and 8 rebounds) was the only effective frontline person against the Wolves’ second-half onslaught. Stud rookie Dylan Harper (17 points) had another solid effort that evoked (at least from Minnesota’s announcers) Sean Elliott’s driving ability.
Julius Randle (22 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds) and Anthony Edwards (32 points, 6 assists, and 7 turnovers) led the way for Minnesota in victory tonight. Naz Reid (15 points and 6 rebounds) and Donte DiVincenzo (18 points) caught fire in support of their stars in the second half to provide their team the timely shooting it needed to re-claim the lead for good from San Antonio.
In an exciting and fireworks-laden first quarter, the teams put up a collective 69 points. Vassell packed his jumpshooting form in his luggage - connecting on his first three shots. Though San Antonio held the lead for some time, an 8-0 run by Minnesota spearheaded by two triples from Edwards put them ahead. The Spurs’ balanced led to their own run to give them back the advantage. Despite Minnesota starting with a stellar field goal percentage and Edwards’ singular brilliance, their handful of turnovers - and more importantly, San Antonio’s conversions soon - allowed the Spurs to end the quarter up 37-32.
Fox’s lay-up got him to 13 points early in the second, and Harper continued to confidently drive with reckless abandon. Minnesota’s first free throws came more than 16 minutes into game action. Randle and Edwards asserted themselves at the offensive end to edge their team closer to the Spurs. A pair of Fox baskets helped keep San Antonio just enough ahead. Randle’s jumper brought Minnesota within one, and a hyper-competitive and star-studded ended with the Spurs up 62-61.
The teams stayed within one possession of each other for a handful of minutes in the third until Vassell sandwiched a pair of jumpers around a Julian Champagnie three. A manly and-1 from Keldon Johnson put San Antonio up eight, and that sequence was part of eight consecutive scoring possessions for the Spurs. And yet, Edwards’ outside shooting kept Minnesota within striking distance. Minnesota went to the fourth down 89-93.
Observations
It’s been really nice to hear other broadcast teams give the Spurs their flowers - citing the 5-1 record without Wemby, the quality of their lead guards, etc.
Carter Bryant (hot cheetos color) and Randles’ (flourescent yellow) shoes definitely stood out most. Honorable mention to Champagnie’s kicks. And right as I typed this, he threw a pass clear out of bounds.
The Fox / Kornet pick-and-roll.
The Jeremy Sochan disappearing act this road trip. Oof.
Dylan’s Driving: On one sequence late in the first period, he saw Gobert in front of him, backed up about a dozen feet, and then drove it right into the center and converted a tough lay-up over him. #nofear
Keldon’s Kitchen: That spinning drive into a floater move just works. That’s all.
Sequence of the Game #1: Late in the opening half, and after Harper threw a degree-of-difficulty lay-up well over Gobert’s outstretched arms, he deflected a Minnesota drive, and took the transition pass for a gorgeous lay-in.
Sequence of the Game #2: In the final moments of the first half, threaded a bounce pass through three Wolves defenders to Jeremy Sochan for a power slam.
Game Rundown
San Antonio played the passing lanes well to snag two errant passes and Vassell chipped in five early points. Vassell’s third straight make put the Spurs up five. The hot-shooting teams combined for one miss apiece in the first four minutes of action. Barnes’ driving lay-up upped their lead to six, but Edward’s back-to-back threes erased that altogether. Edwards’ 5-for-6 start single-handedly kept the Wolves close, but San Antonio’s 18 collective points in the paint were more remarkable. Super sub Reid hit a three moments after he checked in, but Fox’s stepback three made it a five-point game after one entertaining stanza.
Reid’s second straight field goal and DiVincenzo’s transition three tied things at 37 to start the second. Gobert tried a Jakob Poeltl pop-a-shot on the baseline, and because he is not Poeltl, bricked it off the rim. Fox’s steal and acrobatic lay-up put San Antonio up eight. A pair of smooth Harper field goals put the Spurs up ten. Gobert, one of the few humans in the league that looks bigger than Kornet, willed home a tough floater. Randle and Edwards’ persistent scoring made it a one-possession game, and the Spurs weathered that late run to cling onto a one-point lead at the break.
The teams exchanged leads over the first handful of minutes of the third period. Vassell’s pair of buckets put San Antonio up two. Harper had a pair of identical change-of-pace drives for lay-ups grow the Spurs lead briefly to nine. Edwards with each successive bucket - emphatically put up 13 points in the frame. With the Wolves threatening to catch up, Johnson nailed a wing three and the Spurs snuck into the fourth up four.
For the Wolves fan’s perspective, please visit Canis Hoopus.
San Antonio returns home to take on Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies Tuesday night at 7:00 PM CDT.