San Antonio Spurs eliminate Timberwolves

The San Antonio Spurs closed out Minnesota’s season with a 139-109 road win in Game 6 on Friday, May 15, sending San Antonio to the Western Conference finals. The NBA’s playoff bracket lists the Spurs as the winner of the West semifinal series, 4-2, after Minnesota extended the matchup in Game 4 but could not force a seventh game. San Antonio’s margin in the clincher was the clearest number from the night. NBA.com listed Stephon Castle with 32 points and 11 rebounds in Game 6, and the Spurs’ team page showed the same 139-109 final. The result also set the next matchup. StatMuse and Basketball-Reference both list the Spurs’ next game as Monday, May 18, at Oklahoma City, with the Western Conference finals opening there. (nba.com) ### How did San Antonio finish the series in six games? Friday’s win came after San Antonio had already regained control of the series in Game 5. The Spurs beat Minnesota 126-97 on May 12 to move ahead 3-2, then returned to Minneapolis and ended the series three days later. (nba.com) The six-game path was uneven early. Minnesota won Game 1 in San Antonio, the Spurs answered in Game 2, took Game 3 in Minneapolis, and then lost Game 4 when the Timberwolves tied the series 2-2. (statmuse.com) San Antonio then won the final two games by 29 and 30 points. ### Which players led the Game 6 clincher? Stephon Castle was the top scorer in the closeout game with 32 points, according to NBA.com’s game summary. (statmuse.com) The same NBA playoff series page listed Victor Wembanyama with 19 points in the Game 6 recap package. Minnesota’s side of the ledger was much thinner in the final result. NBA.com’s Game 6 page attached postgame video and statistics to Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu and Rudy Gobert, while the final score showed the Timberwolves never got close enough late to threaten a comeback. (nba.com) ### What did the series look like before the closeout? The first four games were competitive enough to suggest a longer matchup. (nba.com) Minnesota opened with a 104-102 win in Game 1, San Antonio responded with a 133-95 victory in Game 2, and the Spurs took Game 3 on the road before the Timberwolves evened the series in Game 4, 114-109. Game 5 shifted momentum for good. (nba.com) Victor Wembanyama returned from his Game 4 ejection and posted 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Spurs’ 126-97 win, according to an Associated Press report carried by CBS Sports. That left Minnesota needing a home win on May 15 to survive. ### Who is waiting in the Western Conference finals? (cbssports.com) Oklahoma City is next for San Antonio. The Spurs’ upcoming schedule lists Game 1 on Monday, May 18, and Game 2 on Wednesday, May 20, both in Oklahoma City, before the series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on May 22 and Game 4 on May 24. The bracket was nearly settled after Friday’s games. CBS Sports’ playoff scoreboard said San Antonio’s advance left the Spurs and Thunder set for the West finals, while the East semifinal between Detroit and Cleveland was pushed to a Game 7. (cbssports.com) Monday, May 18, is the next date on the board for San Antonio, with the Spurs opening the Western Conference finals on the road against Oklahoma City. (statmuse.com) (cbssports.com)