Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs greets Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves at the end of the game at Frost Bank Center on November 2, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas. Photo: Ronald Cortes / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs knocked off Minnesota on Saturday night topping the Timberwolves 113 to 103. The Spurs go to 3 and 3 on the season with the win. The Timberwolves are also 3 and 3.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 25 points, Jeremy Sochan had 19 points and Victor Wembanyama added 17 points.
With Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich feeling ill, Mitch Johnson took over coaching duties.
The Spurs are back in action on Monday night on the road to take on the Clippers.
SPURS POSTGAME QUOTES
Spurs Assistant Coach Mitch Johnson
(On the way Keldon Johnson started the game…)
“Like we talked about in pregame, there’s a lot of things I think we’ve tried to put in place to build on and have a foundation. When we brought him off the bench a while ago, this was part of that thought process. He could be extremely aggressive and be a focal point, still play a ton of minutes, still score plenty of points and finish games and helped balance our lineups. I think he helped us a lot with that.”
(On the Spurs defense, especially after the first quarter…)
“We raised our level and then maintained it. We knew this is a team with high aspirations in Minnesota, and they’re trying to set the tone early in the season, and we were going to get their best shot. We knew when they came out, maybe a little tired or sluggish [from] last night, they were going to still come back and make a couple of runs at us. I think we did a good job of trying to weather the storm there a couple of times.”
(On Chris Paul contributing additional scoring and how that benefits the team…)
“I think the thing for him the last three games, he shot 7 three pointers, and then tonight, 6. He’s a heck of a shooter. I think it’s probably been understated in his career, because he’s obviously such a passer that he is. I think him being aggressive to shoot and score is going to be an important piece to our team.”
Spurs Guard Chris Paul
(On becoming more comfortable with the team…)
“Yeah, I think so. Before the Utah game, [Coach Popovich] came in the locker room and said how he would like us to play and keeping [Victor Wembanyama] facing the basket instead of with his back to the basket as much as possible. Obviously, he will still post up here and there. Y’all saw it preseason. I missed a few games, Vic did, so these first few games have sort of been like training camp for us. Like I keep saying, you want to win and learn at the same time, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”
(On Mitch Johnson coaching in place of Gregg Popovich…)
“Mitch did a great job, man. I think our whole coaching staff [did]. Things happen within this league all the time and just like with the players, it’s next man. So, shout out to Mitch, he did a great job tonight.”
(On being satisfied with what the team got from Keldon Johnson…)
“Am I? A lot of these guys, I didn’t know too well until I got here. But Keldon’s spirit has been unbelievable since day one. His voice – We came into one of the timeouts and it made me so happy because we saw something and he was like ‘See, I got it!’ And that’s what it’s gonna take. It’s gonna take him speaking up. Devin been doing it, and he’s not even playing right now. That’s a sign of a good team.”
Spurs Guard/Forward Keldon Johnson
(On the defensive effort…)
“I mean that’s what we worked on, team defense, having each other’s back. All the things that we emphasized in training camp and at the start of the season until now. That’s just the main thing, just having each other’s back. That was a great team out there tonight [the Timberwolves], they got some great players and without one another we wouldn’t be able to get it done. That’s the main thing. It was an amazing team win.”
(On the biggest adjustment the team has made …)
“We just keep trusting each other. It takes time. You don’t just be good overnight. Game by game we’re figuring it out, we’re getting better each and every game. We’re learning each other more and more, learning where players like the ball and things like that. Really, our defense has been the bright light for us as we work through everything else. As long as we continue to have each other’s back, continue to play as a team and continue to play winning basketball, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
Spurs Forward Victor Wembanyama
(On the biggest difference from the last couple of games on the offensive side…)
“Playing with more pace. Pace is not only just a fastbreak thing but also half-court, stopping the ball less and being [out on the] perimeter allows us to get more paint touches with pace.”
(On the connection between Chris Paul and Jeremy Sochan…)
“It’s great. Jeremy has impacted the floor in so many areas just in the six games. Things are going well. I think right now, we can pick up good momentum. We have to use it. We’re gonna build for tougher times.”