Wembanyama posts 27 points, 17 rebounds in Spurs' Game 5 win

Victor Wembanyama delivered 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks on Tuesday night as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series. The win at Frost Bank Center gave San Antonio a 3-2 lead and moved the Spurs within one victory of the Western Conference finals. NBA.com and the league’s game summary listed Wembanyama as the top performer after San Antonio controlled the paint and broke the game open in the second half. The 126-97 final was San Antonio’s most lopsided win of the series. NBA.com’s live recap said the Spurs held a 68-36 edge in points in the paint, shot 52.8% from the field and limited Minnesota to 38.6% shooting. Keldon Johnson added 21 points, De’Aaron Fox scored 18 and Stephon Castle had 17 for San Antonio, while Anthony Edwards finished with 20 points for Minnesota. (nba.com) ### How unusual was Wembanyama’s stat line? At 22 years old, Wembanyama became the third-youngest player in NBA history to post at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a playoff game, according to the NBA game recap. The only younger players to do it were Magic Johnson at 20 and Luka Doncic at 21, the recap said. (nba.com) The 17 rebounds were a postseason career high for Wembanyama, NBA.com’s live blog said. His production came two days after his first career ejection in Game 4, when he was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Naz Reid in the throat in Minnesota. ### How did San Antonio take control of Game 5? (nba.com) San Antonio built its edge inside. NBA.com’s live recap said the Spurs repeatedly got to the rim, finished with a 68-36 advantage in paint scoring and led by as many as 30 points. The game summary described the result as the Spurs cruising to a 3-2 lead. (nba.com) Minnesota never found a sustained answer after halftime. Anthony Edwards was held to eight points in the first half before ending with 20, and Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels each scored 17, according to the official game summary. San Antonio’s supporting scorers kept extending the margin as the benches emptied late in the fourth quarter. (nba.com) ### What did Wembanyama say after the game? “I was fresh, feeling good,” Wembanyama said, according to the NBA’s official game recap. He added that playoff nerves were normal, saying the excitement and “butterflies” were not unusual at this stage of the postseason. “Job’s not finished. We have one more game to the Conference Finals,” Wembanyama said in the NBA live blog after the final buzzer. (nba.com) The quote underscored that San Antonio’s lead remains one step short of closing the series. ### What carried over from the Game 4 confrontation? Game 4’s physicality remained part of the backdrop on Tuesday. The official recap said Wembanyama returned after his ejection in Sunday’s 114-109 loss, and Naz Reid later received a technical foul in Game 5 for pushing Wembanyama in the back during a Minnesota free throw sequence. (nba.com) Stephon Castle said the Spurs expected that tone from the opening tip. “I felt like, to start the game, we knew it was going to be physical,” Castle said, according to the game recap. San Antonio answered with its most complete offensive game of the series. ### What happens next in the series? Game 6 is scheduled for Friday, May 15, at 9:30 p.m. (nba.com) ET in Minneapolis on Prime Video, according to NBA.com’s series page and game summary. If the Timberwolves win, Game 7 would be Sunday, May 17. Oklahoma City is the waiting opponent in the Western Conference finals if San Antonio closes the series in Minnesota, the official game recap said. (nba.com) For now, the series returns to Minneapolis with the Spurs holding a 3-2 edge.