Victor Wembanyama was unstoppable as he led the San Antonio Spurs to a hard-fought 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, taking a 2-1 series lead in the NBA playoffs this Friday.
Wembanyama reacts during the game
A defensive wall all night, the French star decided a tight, physical contest with a spectacular fourth quarter on offense, scoring 16 points. The 2.24-meter prodigy, in his first NBA playoff series, finished the night in Minneapolis with 39 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks.
Game statistics
“I am made for this. I am more passionate about this than anything else,” Wembanyama said. He added, “We have talent. We have depth. We don’t have experience, but we don’t care… If we play consistently like this, we can go far.”
Minnesota had their star Anthony Edwards back in the starting lineup. Edwards was key in the Timberwolves’ surprising Game 1 victory, but after a knee injury he managed only 12 points off the bench in Game 2’s blowout. This time he shined again, playing aggressive yet patient basketball to finish with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. But it wasn’t enough.
The Timberwolves started very poorly, missing their first 12 field goals. Wembanyama made his presence felt on defense with two spectacular blocks in the opening minutes that set the tone and forced Minnesota to score outside the paint. The home team reacted and the game was tied at 51-51 at halftime. Edwards and Wembanyama dominated scoring in the first half with 19 and 16 points respectively, while the rest of the players barely shot above 30% from the field.
After halftime, the game heated up. As Jaden McDaniels and Dylan Harper fought for a ball, Harper’s head collided with McDaniels’ knee upon falling. Seconds later, McDaniels and Stephon Castle shoved each other, causing a scuffle involving players from both teams. But Wembanyama remained calm and finished the game, hitting two deep threes to seal the victory.
“Greatness,” said teammate De’Aaron Fox about Wembanyama’s performance. “Teams are going to come here and try to be physical with him. He takes it, he doesn’t complain, he knows what’s coming,” Fox added. “He goes out on the court and answers.”