It was another tough night for the San Antonio Spurs battling a feisty Minnesota Timberwolves team. But a win counts all the same.
Victor Wembanyama's 39-point, 15 rebound, 5 block night, combined with De'Aaron Fox's 17 points, helped the Spurs defeat the Timberwolves 115-108 in game three of the Western Conference semifinals Friday night.
The Spurs opened up a commanding 18-3 lead in the first quarter, before Minnesota responded with a 19-5 run, leaving the Spurs with a 23-22 lead.
Victor Wembanyama put on a show in the first quarter, throwing down back-to-back alley-oops.
The Timberwolves opened the second quarter on a 9-4 run, then the Spurs responded with a run of their own. The two exchanged jabs in the second period, ending with the two tied 51-51 at halftime.
Carter Byrant, who returned in game two from a foot sprain, nailed both of threes in the quarter.
The Spurs would surge out of halftime, going on an 8-2 run to start the second half. The Spurs led by as much as nine in the quarter, with the Timberwolves swinging back at every San Antonio punch.
One of those punches came from Devin Vassell, who put Rudy Gobert on a poster.
The Wolves would rally though, with Anthony Edwards scoring 32 points, of which 8 came in the third quarter. The Spurs clung to an 86-79 advantage at the end of the third quarter, outscoring the Wolves 35-28 in the period. Keldon Johnson also added 11 points, including a big three pointer in the third, to extend the San Antonio lead. All told, the Spurs shot 12-for-33 from three-point range.
The fourth quarter would be just as tight, with Minnesota cutting the lead to just one with six minutes remaining. Julian Champagnie had an instant response.
From there, the two continued exchanging blows down the stretch. With five minutes to go, San Antonio led 102-100. From there, the Spurs closed out the game. They reeled off a 7-2 run, taking a 109-103 lead with two minutes remaining.
Wembanyama, who was 13-for-18 from the floor and 3-for-5 from three, hit a cold-blooded one from deep during the run.
The Spurs held off the late attempts at a Wolves rally, with Wembanyama hitting critical free throws, to seal the deal.
Wembanyama became just the 4th player in NBA history with 35+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ blocks in a playoff game.
Minnesota was led by Edwards, who scored his 32 points, as well as Naz Reid who scored 18 points. Jaden McDaniels added another 17 points.
The win gives the Spurs a 2-1 lead in the series. Game four is Sunday night in Minneapolis.
Photo: David Berding / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images