Anthony Edwards scored 36 points, 16 of them in the fourth quarter, and Minnesota beat San Antonio 114-109 on Sunday to tie their second-round playoff series at 2-2. Victor Wembanyama was ejected early in the second quarter after officials ruled he delivered a flagrant 2 foul for excessive contact on Naz Reid.
The play that ended Wembanyama’s night came when Reid took the codazo in the neck, and the Timberwolves made the most of the opening. Reid finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, Rudy Gobert added 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Minnesota closed out a game that had enough swings to feel much bigger than one ejection.
Edwards took over when the game tightened, scoring 16 of his 36 in the fourth quarter as Minnesota held off a San Antonio push that never quite turned into a comeback. The result prevented the Spurs from moving ahead in the series and pushed the matchup into a fifth game, with San Antonio set to host Game 5 on Tuesday.
Wembanyama’s ejection changed the shape of the night, but it did not end San Antonio’s scoring. De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points, Dylan Harper added 24 and Stephon Castle finished with 20, giving the Spurs enough offense to stay close even after their star center was sent out. The game also underscored how quickly Minnesota adjusted once the league’s 2.23-meter star was gone from the floor.
That adjustment was the difference. San Antonio’s guards took over after Wembanyama’s exit, but Minnesota answered with its size, its late-game poise and Edwards’ finishing burst. The league will determine Wembanyama’s status for Game 5, leaving the series’ next turn in the balance as both teams head into Tuesday with everything still on the line.
