Despite a historic performance by Victor Wembanyama, the Minnesota Timberwolves took down the San Antonio Spurs 104-102 in Game 1 on Monday.
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The first quarter saw the Spurs take control early. Wembanyama struggled to put up points, but he was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end. He blocked three shots in the opening frame alone.
San Antonio held a lead midway through, but Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves got a second wind and shifted the momentum. After 12 minutes, Minnesota had gone up by one.
The Timberwolves kept it up to start the second, but Wembanyama’s defensive brilliance began causing more trouble.
The second frame quickly became a period of defense as neither side could break through the on offense. By halftime, Wembanyama had blocked seven shots, but the game was tied at 45.
That gritty back-and-forth continued to start the third, with defense reigning supreme for both squads. The offensive workload was evenly balanced across the role players for both teams.
Near the end of the third, the Spurs went on a small scoring run to go up by five, although that lead was short-lived. Wembanyama continued to dominate on defense and struggle on offense.
When it mattered most, Edwards took over for Minnesota. In the fourth quarter, he led the Timberwolves offense to a huge finish. He put up 11 points in the final frame as Minnesota jumped out to a small advantage.
The Spurs made a timely run in the final few minutes to trim the lead to two, but couldn’t regain the lead in the final moments.
In the loss, Wembanyama set an NBA record for the most blocks in a single playoff game with 12 to go along with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
Edwards was on a minutes restriction, but he put up 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting off the bench as Julius Randle put up 21 points and 10 rebounds.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
