After a 133-95 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Recreation Two, the San Antonio Spurs will head to Minneapolis seeking to steal a sport and regain home-court benefit. Very like they did in spherical one of many playoffs, the Spurs head into Recreation Three with a little bit of uncertainty.
The Timberwolves are undefeated at dwelling within the playoffs this season. Their video games in Minnesota legitimately swung their first-round sequence with the Denver Nuggets. Whereas the Spurs dominated Recreation Two, issues may swing the opposite method on the street.
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San Antonio will come into Recreation Three with a totally wholesome roster. The Wolves are nonetheless coping with accidents to key gamers on their roster. Ayo Dosumnu is questionable, now with a heel damage quite than the calf damage that saved him out of Recreation One. Anthony Edwards stays questionable, regardless of taking part in within the first two video games. These accidents haven’t held the Wolves again from making this a aggressive sequence to this point.
Recreation Two ought to fill the Spurs with confidence. However as Victor Wembanyama advised reporters after the sport, “whenever you win, you’re by no means pretty much as good as you suppose you’re.” They’ll need to show that Recreation Two wasn’t only a flash within the pan, however an indication of a staff studying tips on how to win this sequence.
Could eighth, 2026 | 8:30 PM CT
Watch: Amazon Prime | Hear: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Accidents: No accidents to report.
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Timberwolves Accidents: Donte DiVincenzo – Out (achilles), Ayo Dosunmu – Questionable (heel), Anthony Edwards – Questionable (knee)
What to look at for:
Stephon Fortress’s fouls
Fortress had 5 fouls in 24 minutes on Wednesday evening. He was dangerously near fouling out for the third straight sport. It is smart why Fortress is racking up the fouls. He’s persistently guarding the Wolves’ greatest perimeter defender or banging inside with Julius Randle. He’s being compelled to combat round screens and battle with the Wolves for 50/50 balls. He’s been the driving bodily power for the Spurs on this sequence. They want him to take care of that stage of physicality whereas conserving the foul depend low.
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Three-point taking pictures
To not simplify the sport, however typically successful does come down to creating photographs. The Spurs have been abysmal from three in Recreation One’s loss, taking pictures 28% from deep. In Recreation Two’s blowout, San Antonio shot 41% from three. The distinction within the offense in these two video games was stark. When the Spurs are hitting photographs, it opens up lanes for his or her drivers to get to the basket. They acquired their greatest appears to be like from three once they pushed the ball up the ground to get simple photographs early within the shot clock. The Wolves will definitely attempt to gradual the sport down a bit in Recreation Three. San Antonio ought to proceed to push the tempo to create these simple appears to be like that can open up their offense.
Guard play
San Antonio’s most important benefit on this sequence has been its guards. If De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Fortress are taking part in at their greatest, the Wolves don’t have the guard play to maintain up with them. With Edwards clearly taking part in by an damage and Mike Conley previous his prime, the Wolves have had problem attending to the basket. The Spurs outscored Minnesota 58-36 within the paint in Recreation Two.
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Mitch Johnson’s technique has been to blitz the Wolves’ ball-handlers, sending two defenders on the ball, forcing them to cross and oftentimes, flip it over. Minnesota had 22 turnovers in Recreation Two. Anticipate the Spurs to maintain pressuring Minnesota’s ball-handlers in hopes of replicating this end in Recreation Three.