Spurs rout Timberwolves 126-97

San Antonio didn’t just win Game 5 — it yanked the series back onto its terms. The Spurs beat Minnesota 126-97 on Tuesday night, took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals, and did it with the kind of control that changes how the next game feels. This wasn’t a late escape or a hot-shooting fluke. It was a big, physical, organized dismantling. ### Why did this one feel bigger than a normal Game 5? Because the series had just swung the other way. Minnesota tied it 2-2 in Game 4 after Wembanyama was ejected, and that opened the door to the usual playoff story line — young team rattled, momentum gone, home-court pressure rising. Instead, San Antonio answered with its cleanest game of the round and moved one win from the conference finals. (nba.com) ### What did Wembanyama actually do? He filled the whole game. Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, and NBA.com tagged the rebounding total as a postseason career high for him. The scoring mattered, but the bigger thing was the shape of it — early force, constant rim pressure, and enough passing to punish help defenders when Minnesota collapsed. (nba.com) ### So was this only about one star? Not really. The Spurs got real support around him, which is what made the blowout stick. Keldon Johnson added 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and San Antonio’s guards kept feeding the interior instead of settling for bailout possessions. That balance matters because Minnesota can survive one huge Wembanyama line; surviving Wembanyama plus efficient secondary scoring is a different problem. (nba.com) ### Where did the game get decided? In the paint, basically. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 68-36 there, shot 52.8% from the field, and held the Wolves to 38.6%. Those numbers tell the whole story. The Spurs got deep catches, cuts, and second chances, while Minnesota kept getting pushed into tougher half-court looks. When a playoff game turns into layups for one side and jumpers for the other, the scoreboard usually gets ugly fast. (nba.com) ### What happened to Anthony Edwards? The Spurs made him work for everything. NBA.com’s live recap noted that San Antonio pushed the ball out of Edwards’ hands and held him to 13 shot attempts deep into the fourth quarter. That’s the quiet killer in this result — not just bad Minnesota offense, but San Antonio dictating who got to create and when. (nba.com) ### Why is Minnesota in real trouble now? Because this series has stopped looking random. San Antonio already showed its ceiling in a 133-95 Game 2 blowout, then got another huge Wembanyama performance in a 115-108 Game 3 road win, and now followed with this 29-point Game 5. The Wolves have won twice, but the Spurs’ wins have looked more repeatable — size, paint control, defense, and enough shot creation around Wembanyama. (nba.com) ### What does Game 6 hinge on? Minnesota has to make this a perimeter-and-speed game again. If Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and the Wolves’ help defenders keep losing the interior battle, nothing else really matters. The next game is Friday, May 15, in Minneapolis, and the setup is simple — the Spurs get one shot to close, while the Wolves have to prove this series is still flexible. (espn.com) ### Bottom line? Game 5 didn’t just give San Antonio a 3-2 lead. It gave the Spurs the clearest version yet of the formula that can carry them another round — Wembanyama overwhelming the middle, everyone else playing off that gravity, and Minnesota scrambling behind the play. If that formula shows up again Friday, this series is over. (nba.com) (nbcsports.com)