Timberwolves Punished By Spurs As Playoff Series Ties At 1-1, Finch Reaction

The San Antonio Spurs crushed the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-95, tying their playoff series at 1-1 and seizing momentum. Victor Wembanyama scored 19 points and De'Aaron Fox added 16, while Minnesota fell behind early after a poor offensive start in both opening quarters.

The Timberwolves managed only 17 points in the first quarter and 18 in the second, trailing by 24 at halftime. The deficit removed any real tension from the second half, as San Antonio controlled tempo, spacing and shot selection against a flat Minnesota side.

Anthony Edwards admitted the heavy loss followed a familiar playoff pattern after Minnesota had edged Game 1. Edwards said: "The natural tendency for teams that steal the first game, the away team, they get blown out in Game 2. We can't come out cool. We came out cool. Look what happened."

Edwards then repeated advice remembered from childhood as he assessed the 38-point defeat. Edwards said: "My momma used to tell me that a hard head make a soft a**. That's what happened. They won by 40. I would have a lot of belief. ... I tip my hat to those guys. They came out, they played hard, they were the more desperate team, they wanted it. We'll see where it goes from here."

Head coach Chris Finch criticised Minnesota's offensive decisions and spacing after the blowout. Finch said: "We just got punked. Got to get off of it. Got to use it as a catalyst for ball movement, what it should be. I thought we dribbled to tough spots. I thought we were late getting off it. I thought our spacing around it wasn't really good."

Spurs vs Timberwolves playoff mindset from Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama explained that San Antonio stayed positive and focused after the Game 1 defeat. Wembanyama said: "As a team, we talk a lot, whether it's keeping everything tight or [giving] extra motivation to each other. There's always a bunch of dynamics going on. But we were trying to keep the positivity."

The Spurs’ response sets up a tense Game 3, with the series now level and both teams exposed. San Antonio showed sharper execution and urgency, while Minnesota highlighted concerns with ball movement, shot creation and mindset that will be central talking points before the next meeting.