San Antonio Spurs beat Minnesota Timberwolves 139-109 on the road on Friday, May 15. The final margin was 30 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Spurs had the better start, winning the first 36-27 to lead by 9 after one. The Spurs kept the pressure on with a 38-34 second quarter, carrying a 13-point lead into halftime.
The Spurs won the third 36-23 to create some separation, taking a 26-point lead into the fourth. The Spurs took the fourth 29-25; the Spurs finished the job for a 139-109 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Spurs got more from their shots, finishing at 65.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 43.4% for the Timberwolves. The Spurs grabbed 37.5% of their own misses, while the Timberwolves recovered 15.8%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Timberwolves did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 4.5 against 14.6. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 107 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 129.8 points per 100 possessions to 101.8 for the Timberwolves.
Who stood out
Stephon Castle was the game's biggest individual force for SAS: 32 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast on 11-16 shooting. His Game Score of 30.7 led everyone. His team was +28 with him on the floor.
Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 18 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast on 7-13 shooting, good for a 14.9 Game Score.
Stephon Castle (32 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 60% for the Spurs.
Across the last 12 meetings in our records, Minnesota Timberwolves lead 7-5.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.