Spurs knock out Timberwolves 4-2, advance to Western Conference finals

San Antonio closed out Minnesota on Friday night with its cleanest offensive game of the series. The Spurs beat the Timberwolves 139-109 in Game 6 at Target Center, winning the Western Conference semifinal 4-2 and moving into the franchise’s first Western Conference finals since 2017. Stephon Castle led the closeout with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, while De’Aaron Fox scored 21 and Victor Wembanyama added 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Oklahoma City, which had already swept the Los Angeles Lakers, will host Game 1 of the next round on Monday, May 18. The result ended a series that turned hard toward San Antonio after the opener. Minnesota took Game 1 by two points, but San Antonio won four of the next five, including a 38-point win in Game 2, a 29-point win in Game 5 and the 30-point finish in Game 6. NBA.com listed the final as 139-109, and Basketball-Reference’s playoff page shows San Antonio as the winner of the series, 4-2. ### How did San Antonio put the game away so decisively? Stephon Castle set the tone with one of the biggest games of his postseason. NBA.com’s game recap listed Castle with 32 points on 11-for-16 shooting, along with 11 rebounds, 6 assists and five made 3-pointers. San Antonio had three players combine for 72 points in the closeout, with Fox and Wembanyama joining Castle in double figures early. (nba.com) The Spurs also won the game on volume and efficiency. Basketball-Reference’s Game 6 page shows San Antonio scoring 139 points in Minneapolis, its highest total of the series, and finishing the matchup by 30 points on the road. The same source records the game as the decisive sixth contest of the series. ### When did the series swing away from Minnesota? (nba.com) Minnesota opened the semifinal with a 104-102 win, but the margin of the next Spurs victories showed how quickly the matchup changed. NBA.com’s playoff schedule lists San Antonio’s wins as 133-95 in Game 2, 115-108 in Game 3, 126-97 in Game 5 and 139-109 in Game 6. Minnesota’s only other win after the opener was a 114-109 result in Game 4. (basketball-reference.com) That sequence left San Antonio in control entering Friday. By the time the teams returned to Minneapolis for Game 6, the Spurs had already produced two wins of at least 29 points in the series. Friday’s 30-point result gave them a third. ### What did Castle’s night say about the closeout? Castle’s line was the standout number from the game. NBA.com called him the “player of the night” after the closeout and highlighted the 32-point, 11-rebound, 6-assist performance as the key individual showing of Friday’s playoff slate. (nba.com) The official live blog also noted that San Antonio reached the conference finals for the first time since 2017. The Spurs did not need one scorer alone. Fox’s 21 points and Wembanyama’s 19 gave San Antonio three primary options, and Minnesota could not keep the deficit within striking distance in the second half, according to the official NBA recap. ### Who is waiting in the Western Conference finals? (nba.com) Oklahoma City had already secured its place before Friday’s result. NBA.com’s playoff schedule shows the Thunder beating the Lakers 4-0 in the other Western Conference semifinal, setting up a matchup between the West’s top two remaining seeds. The bracket now lists Oklahoma City against San Antonio in the conference finals. (nba.com) Basketball-Reference’s 2026 playoff summary also shows the Thunder and Spurs as the Western Conference finalists. ### When does the next series start? Game 1 is scheduled for Monday, May 18, in Oklahoma City. NBA.com’s official playoff schedule lists the opener at 8:30 p.m. (nba.com) Eastern on NBC and Peacock, with Game 2 set for Wednesday, May 20, before the series shifts to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on May 22 and May 24. The Western Conference finals winner will move on to the NBA Finals, which NBA.com lists as beginning June 3 on ABC. (basketball-reference.com) For now, the next confirmed date is May 18, when San Antonio opens the series on the road against the defending champion Thunder. (nba.com)