Spurs Defense Dominates, But Late Offense Comes Up Short Against Minnesota
Despite 12 blocks from V-Dub, the Spurs dropped Game One of their Western Conference Semifinal matchup against Minnesota 104-102 Monday night at the Frost Bank Center.
The loss was just the second loss in the last 17 series openers at home for the Spurs.
The young Frenchman had a triple-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds to go along with his block tally. His 12 blocks; including seven in the first half, set an NBA postseason record. The DPOY is just the third player to get a triple-double in the playoffs including blocks since the league began tracking blocks in 1973-74. The other two are Hekeem Olajuwon and Andrew Bynum.
While V-Dub’s impact on the defensive end was spectacular, and downright dominating, he struggled offensively. The big fella was just 5-for-17 from the field and an abysmal 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Silver and Black as a team shot just 28% from three.
“(I can) start by making some shots,” Victor Wembanyama said of personal adjustments he can make.
“I have to use (a lot of) my energy, obviously … on one side of the court. On the other side, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team. That’s on me”, he added.
Dylan Harper scored 18 points to lead the Spurs who were heavy favorites to win. Julian Champagnie and Stephon Castle each had 17 points in the loss. Champagnie had an opportunity to win the game however his three at the buzzer fell short.
Julius Randle finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead all scorers for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards scored 18 points in his return from a knee injury he sustained in a Game 4 loss to the Nuggets in the first round. The Timberwolves leading scorer on the season was expected to miss at least the first two games of the series after suffering a bone bruise and hyperextending his left knee.
The undermanned Wolves were also without the services of Donte DiVincenzo (torn right Achilles tendon) and Ayo Dosunmu (right calf soreness).
While a Game One loss was not ideal for the Spurs, I believe they are the superior team in the series. That being said, they’re going to have to get more out of veteran De’Aaron Fox.
The eight year vet was just 5-for-14 from the field and 0-for-4 from the three point line. He finished the game with just 10 points in 33 minutes of action. More importantly he had six of the team’s 13 turnovers. If the Spurs want to get deeper into the playoffs they will need the version of Fox that put up 60 for Sacramento last season. At the very least he’ll need to take better care of the rock. Fox is a pro’s pro so I expect he’ll rebound from the poor performance.
“I have no concerns about De’Aaron Fox or Victor Wembanyama’s box score,” Coach Mitchell Johnson said decisively after the game. “They’ll be better. We’ll be better for them.”
The team will have an opportunity to rebound and even the series Wednesday as the faceoff for Game 2.
Up Next:
Game 2 @ San Antonio
Wednesday, 5/6 @ 8:30 p.m.
ESPN
Minnesota leads 1-0
