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SAN ANTONIO -- Victor Wembanyama atoned for his first career ejection with another huge performance, finishing with 27 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series.
Keldon Johnson had 21 points, De'Aaron Fox added 18 and Stephon Castle had 17 as San Antonio moved a game away from the NBA Western Conference finals. The Spurs can advance to face Oklahoma City with a victory in Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards, who was limited to eight points in the first half, finished with 20 points for Minnesota. Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels added 17 points apiece.
Wembanyama returned after his ejection early in the second quarter of Minnesota's 114-109 victory Sunday during Game 4 in Minneapolis. Wembanyama received a Flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Naz Reid in the throat.
Both teams continued to hammer each other, with Reid receiving a technical foul for pushing Wembanyama in the back on a Minnesota free throw with 2:24 left in the first half.
The foul fired up Wembanyama, not that he needed any additional motivation.
Wembanyama was 6 for 8 from the field and 2 for 3 on three-pointers in scoring 18 points in the opening quarter.
After being approached by Minnesota's Ayo Dosunmu after getting tangled up with McDaniels in the first quarter, Wembanyama would run untouched to the rim for an emphatic windmill dunk.
The Timberwolves opened the third quarter on a 14-2 run to tie the game after trailing by 18 points in the first half. Minnesota tipped away three attempted alley-oop passes to Wembanyama before they reached the 7-foot-4 post.
The Spurs recaptured a double-digit lead in the third spurred by Keldon Johnson's block on Rudy Gobert's attempted dunk followed by his short jumper after bodying Edwards under the rim.
MONDAY'S LATE GAME
THUNDER 115, LAKERS 110
LOS ANGELES -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Chet Holmgren made a tiebreaking dunk with 32.8 seconds to play, and the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the second round of the NBA playoffs with a victory in Game 4 on Monday night.
Ajay Mitchell scored 10 of his 28 points in the frantic final period as the Thunder overcame the Lakers' tenacious effort and improved to 8-0 in the playoffs with their toughest victory of the postseason.
LeBron James had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the final game of the unprecedented 23rd season for the top scorer in NBA history, but he missed a driving bank shot with 20 seconds left that would have put the Lakers ahead.
The 41-year-old James has repeatedly said he hasn't decided whether to play next season, so there was no ceremony or momentousness around this game. Instead, the Lakers desperately tried to extend their year, only to lose to Oklahoma City for the eighth time this season.
Austin Reaves (Cedar Ridge) scored 27 points before missing a tying three-point attempt with eight seconds left for the Lakers, who advanced one round farther than almost anybody expected after losing NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and Reaves to significant injuries a month ago.
Los Angeles still lost six of its final seven playoff games and fell well short of the conference finals for the third straight season.
Oklahoma City faced its first fourth-quarter deficits of the entire playoffs in Game 4 as the Lakers repeatedly refused to fold.
After this test, the Thunder will get at least the rest of the week off before they open the conference finals against the winner of San Antonio's second-round series with Minnesota.
Oklahoma City went 8-0 against the Lakers this season, winning all four regular-season matchups as well -- but this one was the toughest. The Lakers took the lead and kept it close down the stretch with big buckets from Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who scored nine of his 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Holmgren's dunk with 2:03 left put the Thunder up 109-103, but Hachimura coolly converted a four-point play. Marcus Smart then drove the lane and hit a layup while being fouled in the final minute, converting a three-point play for a 110-109 Lakers lead.
But Holmgren got the ball inside and triple-pumped for a dunk with 32.8 seconds left, and James missed on his drive. After Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws, Reaves missed again, and the Thunder hung on to secure their sixth berth in the Western Conference finals in the last 16 seasons.
The Thunder won the first two games of the series at home by 18 points apiece, and they routed the Lakers 131-108 in Game 3.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) pulls down a rebound over Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) pulls down a rebound over Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) scores against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) scores against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) scores past Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) scores past Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoffs series in Minneapolis, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)