The San Antonio Spurs delivered the tricks and took home the treat on Halloween, earning a 121–111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday night, sending the fans home with smiles on their faces and candy in their bellies.
The victory is the fourth straight for San Antonio, who started the season 0-2 after losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
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Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson informed reporters before the game that guard Stephon Castle was suffering from a migraine and was a game-time decision. He would eventually be in the starting lineup and play 22 minutes.
San Antonio opened the game with one of their strongest defensive efforts of the season, holding the Timberwolves to 37 percent shooting in the first quarter. At one point in the period, the Spurs led 11-2, but the Timberwolves went on an 11-0 run to briefly take a one-point lead. De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama combined for 19 of the Spurs' 34 points.
"We want to just try to make sure we can get the best shot in every possession, and that's never going to happen," Coach Johnson said after the game. "But I think if you just constantly keep that at the front of your brain and at the at the forefront of the conversation, and if everybody, for the most part, over time is putting their energy into that, you'll land in a pretty good spot."
Wembanayama knew he needed to be more aggressive and he acted like it. From the opening tip, he was calling for Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle to lob him the ball. He scored 24 points in the first half (43 points for the game), including throwing the ball to himself off the glass for a dunk that got the crowd on its feet and had Minnesota head coach Chris Finch asking for a timeout.
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"He's just so dominant," Harper said of Wembanyama. "I feel like he goes out there and when he puts his imprint on the game, he's unstoppable, and he did that tonight from the jump to end of the game. So I mean, hey, I was okay with him taking those shots. Those are all good looks, and my biggest thing with him is just if you're gonna take the shot, take it, be confident."
San Antonio went up double digits, but turnovers allowed the Timberwolves to get back into the game, turning the deficit for Minnesota into a one-point lead at halftime. The Spurs committed four their 15 turnovers in the second quarter.
With Minnesota missing stars Anthony Edwards, Rudy Golbert, and Donte DiVincenzo, Finch relied on newly acquired guard LaMelo Ball. The new Minnesota guard saw himself in foul trouble, racking up four personal fouls in the first half. He would eventually foul out of the game, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The final quarter saw the Spurs turn it on, leaving no doubt on which team would go home with the treat of a win on Halloween. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 28-23 in the period, led by Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and De'Aaron Fox. The sophomore guard finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as he got aggressive with Wemby on the bench to begin the period.
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"I love games like this," Harper said after the game. "I love games where the other team starts talking first because when you respond, it's not your fault when you talk.. the competitive nature that the Timberwolves brought kind of brings the best out of us. And obviously, when a team's that competitive, it brings the best out of me."
De'Aaron Fox had a solid outing, including hitting key shots when Minnesota threatened to come back. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists; crediting Wembanyama for making everyone better.
"His gravity is like Steph (Curry)," Fox said. "If he rolls to the basket, he's going to have two or three defenders. To use that gravity, makes it easier for the rest of us."
Game Notes
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Luke Kornet had a strong outing after a string of poor games. He finished with 2 points and 8 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
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Carter Bryant came off the bench and hit two threes. He played with confidence and that's a welcome sign.
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San Antonio will need to cut back on the turnovers, but they made up for it with solid defense in the final two quarters.
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Julian Champaignie had 12 points off the bench, going 3-f0r-7 from beyond the arc.
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Coach Johnson said pregame that the team will not rush Tobias Harris back to the court amid all the gruesome injury news around the league over the past week. I'd expect it to be a few weeks until he makes his debut.
