The San Antonio Spurs folded in Minnesota against the Timberwolves, going 2-2 on their nine-day road trip. The latter was on the second night of a back-to-back, but they still had the legs to down a surplus of jumpers, and San Antonio’s half-court defense was shredded, which was ultimately their undoing.
The Spurs weren’t facing too much resistance in the lane early and benefitted from five Minnesota turnovers, but they were slow on the draw, covering the three-point line and allowed Anthony Edwards to get hot, so there wasn’t much separation in the first quarter. On top of that, De’Aaron Fox’s first rest after five minutes caused a slight speed bump, but the bench asserted itself with 14 points going into the second quarter.
Fox battered coverages and was the team’s safety net, checking back in when Minnesota sliced away their lead. Eventually, the Spurs were vulnerable when they went small with Jeremy Sochan minutes at center. There was no shot blocker to cool off all the action headed towards the lane. Still, they went to halftime ahead by one and were shooting 83.3 percent at the rim. Their biggest concerns were Edwards and Julius Randle combining for 31 points on 65 percent accuracy.
Naturally, Minnesota raised the pressure on Fox, yet Devin Vassell took over, making four shots on the right side. Then Dylan Harper followed his lead, setting the tone for the bench unit that scored on five straight possessions in the latter stage of the third quarter. They could only take a four-point lead going into the fourth because Edwards was like the boogeyman on their heels, responding with 13 points in the frame.
Coach Mitch Johnson said, “At the start of the third quarter, I thought our activity, resistance, togetherness defensively was really poor. We turned them over, I believe, zero times in the third quarter, so we just didn’t have that level of presence on or off the basketball.”
The corner coverage that followed was awful and they couldn’t contain the dribble, eventually finding themselves in a 14-point ditch with five minutes left. Fox and Keldon Johnson tried putting the team on their shoulders, but the schemes didn’t hold up as Minnesota made an immaculate six attempts in the paint in the fourth quarter. Despite four Spurs logging between eight and 12 shots, they lost 125-112, making it the fifth time this season they’ve given up that many points or more (2-3).
* Part of the reason the Spurs only had 17 assists, which ties their season low, was because of Fox’s usage. Still, it was not a good night in the ball plus body movement department, and Julius Randle had five fewer assists than the Spurs. On top of that, the Timberwolves more than doubled San Antonio’s 3-point output (17-8).
* Fox played below standard on Friday, but was much sharper on Sunday, leaving defenders in his rear view mirror and pulling up for jumpers. He wasn’t the playmaker for others he’s been lately, but he finished the game with 25 points on 66.7 percent shooting, with four assists and two rebounds.
* Anthony Edwards came into the game averaging 38.5 points over the last four outings, and the Spurs struggled to bother his jumper or to stay on his hip when he attacked the heart of the defense. Without Stephon Castle present to pressure his actions, everyone who guarded him was playing over their head. Edwards finished with 32 points on 72.2 percent shooting.
* Vassell followed up his big-time night in Denver getting what he wanted inside the arc, but converted 12.1 percent of his threes. Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie, two of the team’s most reliable 3-point marksmen, also weren’t a factor from deep.
* Rudy Gobert being such a weak offensive player allowed Luke Kornet to sag off considerably to help against other Timberwolves. Considering the latter’s limited lateral movement, he also did a solid job of guarding the back line.
* San Antonio’s bench was not messing around, outscoring Minnesota’s by 17. They were in such a groove that Johnson felt comfortable using five reserves at once in the third quarter. Additionally, Harper was a key factor, living in the paint, and the other super sub was K. Johnson, who had his second night breaking at least 20 points (22) this season.
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