The Minnesota Timberwolves couldn't keep up with the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night, as San Antonio ran away with a 126-97 win to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
The Wolves put forth a valiant effort in Game 4, taking advantage of Victor Wembanyama's absence to even the series at two games apiece. However, the Spurs made a major statement on Tuesday night and are now back in the driver's seat heading back to Minnesota for Game 6 just a game away from the conference finals.
While things are looking bleak for the Wolves in this series and their season is now just a game away from being over, they aren't giving up just yet. Forward Naz Reid maintained a confident disposition after the loss, via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“We know what we gotta do. We know the situation we’re in,” Reid said. “We’ve been in this situation before. It’s no time to panic. This is when you keep calm and play our brand of basketball.”
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The Wolves had no answer for the Spurs' heightened physicality in this game, as San Antonio came out of the gates on a mission and took an early lead. Even after the Wolves started the third quarter hot to tie the game up at 61, the Spurs still wore them down over the course of the second half to run away with the blowout victory.
When he is at his best, Reid can be a game-changing factor off the bench with his shooting and versatility in the front court. He was quiet in Game 5, however, scoring just 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting with four fouls.
The Wolves need the best version of Reid on the floor if they want to turn this series around, and a lot of it comes down to slowing down Victor Wembanyama. Reid is a necessity on both ends of the floor in a series where Rudy Gobert can't be on the court all the time, so getting him to play his best should be a top priority for the Wolves as they head home for Game 6.
The Minnesota Timberwolves couldn't keep up with the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night, as San Antonio ran away with a 126-97 win to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Wolves put forth a valiant effort in Game 4, taking advantage of Victor Wembanyama's absence to even the series at two games apiece.