Victor Wembanyama delivered another masterpiece with 39 points, 15 rebounds and more game-ruining defense for the San Antonio Spurs, who took a 2-1 lead in the second-round NBA playoff series with a 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wembanyama went 13-of-18 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the line and added five blocks and a night of shutout in the paint as the Spurs won their second straight game after dropping the opener at home.
De’Aaron Fox scored 17 points and Stephon Castle had 13 points and 12 assists with a team-high plus-17 rating.
Anthony Edwards had 32 points and 14 rebounds and Naz Reid added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Wolves, whose defense kept them alive after a dismal start but allowed the Spurs to shoot 6 for 10 from 3-point range in the decisive third quarter.
Minnesota hosts Game 4 on Sunday night. The series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Jaden McDaniels drew Wembanyama’s fifth foul with 6:18 left to bring the Wolves within 99-98 on a pair of free throws, but the Spurs never trailed in the second half despite never leading by double digits.
Wembanyama didn’t flinch despite the risk of fouls, finishing with 16 points in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer that matched Reid’s pushed San Antonio’s lead to six with 3:06 left. Reid tried another near the end of the shot clock on the next possession that hit the rim and Wembanyama rebounded.
Edwards, who once again showed Minnesota his quick-healing ability in returning from a bone-deep bruise in his hyperextended left knee after just one week to start the series, had 22 first-half points to help them rally from an early 18-3 deficit.
“It was like sticking together on the ship. We had a lead. We didn’t have to rush. We had to be consistent,” Wembanyama said.
But it was Wembanyama, 22, who stole the show. Asked what they witnessed after such a performance, teammate Fox replied: “Greatness.
“We all know that. We see him every day. We see the work and the time he puts into his game and his body knows that teams are going to come out here and try to be physical with him.
“He fights through it, he doesn’t complain. He knows what he’s going to endure. He comes out here and he produces.”
The Knicks move to the brink of the Eastern Conference finals
Jalen Brunson scored 33 points and sealed the game with big buckets late to the delight of roaring Knicks fans, leading New York to a 109-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night for a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.
Brunson shook off a 2-of-8 start from the floor and finished 11 of 22 in 38 minutes to send the Knicks to their sixth straight postseason win.
“I’m Linus. Jalen is my blanket,” first-year Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “He helps me relax at a lot of different times during the game.”
With the 2016 and 2018 Villanova national championship banners hanging in the rafters, the so-called Nova Knicks all took turns to take the game out of the Sixers in the fourth quarter, turning a four-point lead into another double-digit victory.
Josh Hart had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Mikal Bridges added 23 points, pushing the Knicks within one win of their second straight conference finals appearance.