Victor Wembanyama got ejected in Game 4. He came back in Game 5 and dropped 27 points and 17 rebounds in a 126-97 demolition of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The San Antonio Spurs lead this Western Conference semifinal 3-2, and the message could not be clearer. You do not poke the bear.
Wembanyama was tossed for a flagrant 2 in the second quarter of Game 4 after officials reviewed an elbow that caught Naz Reid in the face. Whether you think it was malicious or just a Wemby being Wemby moment, the Spurs lost their best player and barely survived to keep the series even. Then he came back furious.
San Antonio has now won three games in this series by an average margin of 24.7 points. That is not a typo. The Wolves have been blown out in every win the Spurs have, and Minnesota is staring at the very real possibility that their season ends in Game 6 on Friday at Target Center.
Wembanyama is a different player in the playoffs than he was a year ago. He is more physical. He is shooting smarter shots. He is dominating the glass on both ends. And he is starting to figure out how to use his size to actually intimidate opponents instead of just letting his length do the work.
De’Aaron Fox has been the perfect running mate. He pushes pace, he attacks Mike Conley in pick and roll, and he keeps Anthony Edwards working hard on defense. Dylan Harper has been a revelation in his first playoff run. The Spurs are not just deep. They are dangerous from one through eight.
Anthony Edwards has had his moments, but he cannot do it alone. Julius Randle has been wildly inconsistent. Jaden McDaniels and Reid have struggled to slow down Wembanyama. Chris Finch is going to have to find another speed before Friday, or this series ends on the Wolves’ home floor.
The big picture matters here. The Spurs are barely two years removed from a 22-win season. Wembanyama, Fox, and Harper might be the youngest core in the entire Western Conference, and they are this close to a conference finals appearance. The window is opening fast, and it is opening early.
If the Spurs do close it out, they get the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. That is the dream matchup for basketball nerds. Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren going at each other for a chance to play in the NBA Finals. SGA versus De’Aaron Fox. Mark Daigneault versus Mitch Johnson. The basketball would be incredible.
The Thunder are favored to win that series, and rightfully so. OKC is 8-0 in this postseason and looks like the most complete team in the league. But the Spurs are not going to be intimidated, and Wembanyama is the one player on Earth who can theoretically neutralize Holmgren in the paint.
Game 6 tips off Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The Wolves are at home and desperate. The Spurs are smelling blood. If Wembanyama plays anywhere close to the way he did in Game 5, this series ends in five quarters. Minnesota’s only hope is to make him pass and force the supporting cast to beat them.
Spoiler alert: that supporting cast can absolutely beat you. The Spurs are no longer a feel-good story. They are a problem.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
