Edwards steals Game 1, Spurs face series hole
Minnesota wins 104-102 in San Antonio despite Wembanyama's record 12 blocks
Anthony Edwards scored 18 points in an unexpected return from injury and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-102 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Edwards, who was expected to miss at least the first two games with a bone bruise and hyperextended left knee, dropped 11 of those points in the fourth quarter alone. San Antonio is down 0-1 in a series the Spurs hadn't even reached since 2017.
Victor Wembanyama was enormous and still came out on the losing side. He finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds and set an NBA postseason record with 12 blocks. That kind of defensive performance from a 22-year-old in his first Conference Semifinal is not normal, and it still wasn't enough.
The problem for San Antonio is the series math now. Minnesota stole home court in Game 1 without Edwards at anything close to full health, which flips the pressure squarely onto the spurs going into Game 2. Wembanyama's playoff debut has been historic by any measure, but the Timberwolves have shown they can win the close ones on the road.
Minnesota leads the best-of-seven 1-0. The Spurs have no margin for another fourth-quarter fade if they want to reclaim home-court advantage before this series shifts to Target Center.