Anthony Edwards warned Minnesota before Game 2 that teams that steal the first game often get blown out in the next one. The Timberwolves still walked into Wednesday night and got exactly that, a 133-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs that sent the Western Conference semifinals back to Minneapolis tied 1-1.
Edwards said afterward, “We came out cool.” Chris Finch was blunter: “we just got punked.” The Spurs were recharged from the start, pressing full court, attacking Minnesota’s dribble and throwing selective double-teams at Edwards once he crossed half court. The result was a 38-point blowout that never really narrowed after halftime, when Minnesota trailed by 24.
The numbers told the story early and kept getting worse. Minnesota managed 17 points in the first quarter and 18 in the second, turned it over 22 times and shot only 9 of 30 from three-point range. The Timberwolves also missed 26 of 44 shots in the paint, a sign of how thoroughly San Antonio, with Victor Wembanyama helping to protect the basket, took away the easiest scoring lanes. Minnesota briefly found itself in a 47-point hole during the game.
For Finch, the issue was not hard to identify. He said the team needed to get off stagnant isolation possessions and use the ball better, after a game in which Minnesota was “kind of dribbling and going nowhere.” Julius Randle had a quiet five-turnover night and said the Spurs kept putting him in trouble by getting the ball to him in bad spots and trapping him in bad areas. “I got to get a better position where I'm receiving the ball,” he said.
The matchup was also complicated by Jaden McDaniels, who played only 20 minutes because of early foul trouble. He was already limited in Game 1, when he sat in the first half after picking up three fouls in the first 15 minutes. Edwards said his teammate needs to be on the floor at all times, adding that McDaniels being off it hurts the Timberwolves every time.
Before the game, Edwards had tried to warn against a flat start, saying teams that steal the opener often get blown out in Game 2 and that Minnesota could not “come out cool.” Afterward, he said his mother used to tell him that a hard head makes a soft ass, “That's what happened tonight.”
That is the part of this series Minnesota now has to solve. The Spurs have shown they can force the Timberwolves out of their rhythm with pressure and length, and Finch has already said this season that his team can drift into stagnant offense when the ball stops moving. Back in Minneapolis, with the series reset and the pressure now shifting, Minnesota has to decide whether Wednesday was a bad night or a warning.
