Defense will be a key focus when the Minnesota Timberwolves head to San Antonio to face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Saturday.
This game is the second in a back-to-back for the Timberwolves, who flew to San Antonio overnight after a 119-116 win against the Denver Nuggets at home on Friday.
Minnesota scored the last 10 points of the game to secure the win after nearly losing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. That victory marked a successful homestand for Minnesota and their second win in the last three games.
Anthony Edwards scored 29 points to help lead the comeback, which was finished off when Rudy Gobert made two free throws with 10 seconds left. Julius Randle added 23 points, Gobert finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Naz Reid contributed 16 points.
The Timberwolves, with their new lineup, have had some ups and downs in their first five games as Randle and Edwards share leadership roles. One issue Minnesota has faced is their transition defense, particularly when an opponent’s big man scores easily after the Timberwolves’ guards get too close to the basket.
Last season, Karl-Anthony Towns, who is no longer with the team, usually stayed near the top of the key, allowing him to recover in time to prevent easy baskets.
“We work on those situations in practice,” Gobert said. “We don’t want to be a team that just gives up layups or dunks. Whoever took the shot is going to be the first guy (back) with the big, and he’s got to hold him until I get there or someone bigger gets back.”
Edwards is taking more 3-pointers than any other player in the league, making 29 out of 67 attempts in Minnesota’s first five games. He shot 7-for-14 from beyond the arc on Friday.
The Spurs are back home after a strong 106-88 victory at Utah on Thursday. Wembanyama had an impressive game, scoring 25 points, grabbing nine rebounds, providing seven assists, and making five blocks and five steals.
This was the second time in Wembanyama’s early career that he has achieved at least five points in each of those categories in a single game. He joins Hakeem Olajuwon (six times) and Andrei Kirilenko (three times) as the only players to do this more than once.
Chris Paul contributed 19 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds for San Antonio. Keldon Johnson scored 13 points, Jeremy Sochan added 11 points, and Sandro Mamukelashvili had 10 points.
The Spurs were down by six points at halftime but outscored the Jazz 30-14 in the third quarter and maintained control from there.
Even with the strong third-quarter performance, both Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Wembanyama emphasized that the team’s defense was the real key to their success.
“We’re not ready to be a top-five defensive team by any stretch of the imagination,” Popovich said. “We’ve played good defense throughout the beginning of the season. We picked up where we left off from last year.”
“(Defense) is a must-have for us,” Wembanyama added. “It should be our first focus coming into the game.” Saturday’s matchup is the first of three games between the teams this season, and it is the only one that will be held in San Antonio.
