NBA: Timberwolves take key step in play-in race with win over Spurs
Apr 8, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (1) drives to the basket while defended by San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones (33) during the second half at Moody Center. / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony Edwards scored 33 points in less than three quarters of court time as the Minnesota Timberwolves set the table to move up in the play-in tournament pecking order with a dominating 151-131 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas.
Minnesota (41-40) clinched at least finishing ninth in the Western Conference standings entering a showdown with New Orleans on Sunday in the teams’ regular-season finale in Minneapolis. Minnesota and New Orleans are jockeying for position in the West.
The Timberwolves led by 12 points after a rousing second-quarter offensive explosion and never looked back, rolling to the win after pushing their lead to 126-93 a minute and a half into the fourth quarter.
A1 GETS BUCKETS.
33 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST / 2 STL pic.twitter.com/q1cIgfaEqi
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 8, 2023
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, Mike Conley scored 20 and Rudy Gobert added 10 points and took 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who set a season high for points in a game.
Julian Champagnie led San Antonio (21-60) with 24 points while Keita Bates-Diop had 22, Tre Jones had his second career triple-double (21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds) and Malaki Branham added 17 points. The game was the second of a two-game set in Austin for the Spurs.
The Spurs played without injured starters Keldon Johnson (right foot), Jeremy Sochan (right knee) and Zach Collins (finger laceration).
near triple-double. 😼
22 PTS / 8 REB / 8 AST pic.twitter.com/SOAs3TOl3E
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 8, 2023
Edwards did all he could to carry the Timberwolves in the first quarter, scoring 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting in the period. But San Antonio refused to back down, with a balanced offensive effort producing a 35-35 tie after 12 minutes of play.
Defense was all but thrown out the window in the second quarter as Minnesota outscored the Spurs 45-33 and assumed an 80-68 lead at the break.
Edwards led all scorers in the half with 23 points while Towns and Taurean Prince added 12 each for the Timberwolves.
Champagnie and Sandro Mamukelashvili hit 14 points apiece in the half to lead San Antonio, with Bates-Diop scoring 11 and Branham adding 10.
The Timberwolves reached the 100-point mark on Conley’s 3-pointer halfway through the third period and stretched their lead to 27 points on an Edwards’ step back 3-pointers with 5:04 to play in the period.
