San Antonio Spurs beat Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 at home on Tuesday, May 12. The final margin was 29 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs struck first, taking the opening quarter 34-30 and a 4-point lead after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 25-17 second quarter, carrying a 12-point lead into halftime.
The Spurs won the third 32-26 to create some separation, taking a 18-point lead into the fourth. The Spurs took the fourth 35-24; the Spurs finished the job for a 126-97 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 59% effective field-goal shooting compared with 44% for the Timberwolves. The Spurs grabbed 25.6% of their own misses, while the Timberwolves recovered 20.4%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Timberwolves did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 28.9 against 23.6. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 123.5 points per 100 possessions to 95.1 for the Timberwolves.
The Spurs' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 44-15.
Who stood out
Victor Wembanyama was the game's biggest individual force for SAS: 27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk on 9-16 shooting. His Game Score of 25.7 led everyone. His team was +24 with him on the floor.
Ayo Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 16 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl on 7-14 shooting, good for a 14.9 Game Score.
Victor Wembanyama (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast), Dylan Harper (12 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast), and Julius Randle (17 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Spurs about a 82% chance.
Across the last 11 meetings in our records, Minnesota Timberwolves lead 7-4.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.