No one can say the Spurs lacked effort in their 141-124 loss to the Timberwolves. They simply ran into a superior opponent that always found scoring when San Antonio took away their preferred options and took advantage of their size to get offensive boards and their superior outside shooting to cruise into victory.
It wasn’t an auspicious start for the Spurs, which logged two quick turnovers and couldn’t get stops on the other end. They found their footing quickly enough to prevent the Timberwolves from running away with it in the first quarter, but there were too many mismatches for Minnesota to attack and San Antonio’s defense had no answers. The second unit showed the only way to offer resistance was by playing an extremely energetic and at times reckless style of defense that required leaving some opponents open to take away the home team’s preferred scoring options. It worked, as the Wolves continued to hit shots and make plays, but they lost the tight grip they had on the game. The lead after one was just eight, which was a fantastic result for the Silver and Black, considering how things were looking earlier on.
The chaotic nature of the first quarter only got more pronounced in the second. It benefitted the Spurs, which seemed to embrace being constantly in rotation and zooming around the court, helping early and recovering. There were some good minutes from Sandro Mamukelashvili and even a Blake Wesley appearance, which signaled Mitch Johnson’s willingness to find alternative ways to match up with the home team. Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox carried the load on offense and everyone played with urgency on the other end. The downside of the lack of structure on defense was some second-chance points and open three-pointers for the Wolves but the tradeoff was worth it, at least at that point. At the break, the visitors continued to just trail by eight.
The big problem for San Antonio on Sunday was that they could stay in by playing hard but could never make a run. Minnesota looked better on offense to start the third but the Silver and Black, led by its veterans, put enough points on the board to prevent the deficit from getting out of control. As the second unit checked in, it seemed like the perfect time to make that elusive push, but alas, it didn’t happen despite some great minutes from Stephon Castle. After that, the Wolves tightened up on defense, which allowed them to run and get easy buckets instead of trying to grind things out in the half-court. As they did all game, the Spurs kept fighting but simply didn’t have the firepower to be a true threat to a superior opponent. Heading into the final period, the lead was 15.
There was not much suspense in the fourth. The Wolves continued to move the ball while the Spurs chased it, and they retained their advantage on the offensive glass and from beyond the arc. An untimely drought from the Silver and Black allowed the hosts to extend the lead and, with the Mavericks waiting on Monday on the second game of a back-to-back, Johnson emptied his bench. A valiant effort ended in defeat because talent, athleticism and size beat moxie, most of the time.
### Game notes
* The Timberwolves tied a season-high with 38 assists and were one three shy from tying their season-high for made threes. They also had eight players in double digits. The Spurs tried to force them to rely on ball movement to beat them and Minnesota managed to do it.
* After an inefficient scoring outing in his return to Sacramento, Fox found his touch from outside and poured in four threes. The only other two Spurs who made more than one outside shot were Harrison Barnes and Devin Vassell. It’s hard to win when you make 10 fewer threes than your opponent.
* Chris Paul is getting harder to hide on defense. The Spurs put him on Jaden McDaniels and the Wolves were happy to let McDaniels cook early. Having him on shooters instead of the point-of-attack means he’s the low man often and has to help on the glass and he just can’t do it. Paul organizes the offense and creates turnovers but his limitations are just hard to conceal, especially in double point guard units.
* Bismack Biyombo and Jeremy Sochan were both fine, considering the Wolves' size advantage. The issue is that since they can’t play together, the more Biyombo plays, the less Sochan can be on the floor. There’s no easy solution, as Bassey is similar to Biyombo, and Mamu at center offers zero rim protection. Roster construction issues are not making things easy for the young forward, turned backup center.
* Stephon Castle had another strong game, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists and showing that he’s slowly finding consistency. The outside shot remains his biggest weakness (0-for-2 on Sunday), but he might need an offseason to fix it.
* Devin Vassell has been a lot more active on defense recently, which is fantastic news. He’ll likely never be an above-average man defender, but Castle and Sochan should be the Spurs’ guys on the ball going forward while Vassell makes his mark off the ball. Arguably the most important thing the rest of the way is for Vassell to continue to look like a two-way player.
* The Spurs’ other young vet, Keldon Johnson, is also giving fans reasons for optimism. He looks more confident and is continuing to attack the rim fearlessly. He finished with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists.
### Play of the game
Bouncing the ball off an opponent on the inbound will always be funny.
### Next game: vs. Dallas Mavericks on Monday
The Spurs will host the injury-riddled (and potentially cursed?) Mavs on a [SEGABABA](https://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#SEGABABA). Can they win one after losing eight straight?