Spurs rout Timberwolves 126-97

Basketball games this deep in May usually shrink. Possessions get slower. Stars hunt the same two or three weak spots over and over. This one blew open instead. San Antonio ran Minnesota off the floor in Game 5 on Tuesday night, winning 126-97 and moving one win from the Western Conference finals. (nba.com) ### Why was this one so lopsided? The simplest answer is the paint. San Antonio scored 68 points there, which is a brutal number in a playoff game, and led by as many as 30. Minnesota never really solved the first line of pressure, so the Spurs kept getting downhill before the Wolves’ defense could get set. (nba.com) ### What did Wembanyama actually do? Victor Wembanyama was the center of everything — 27 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks in a game that felt decided by his reach before it was decided by the scoreboard. The rebounds ended possessions. The passing punished help. And the shot-blocking let San Antonio press up on the perimeter because there was still a giant eraser behind the play. (nba.com) ### Was this only about Wemby? No — and that’s the part that should worry Minnesota. De’Aaron Fox added 18 points and 5 assists. Stephon Castle had 17 points and 6 assists. Keldon Johnson came off the bench and ripped in 21 on 8-of-11 shooting. That is a lot of places to put stress on a defense that was already bending around Wembanyama. (nba.com) ### So where does Dylan Harper fit? Harper only scored 12, which doesn’t jump off the page, but the game keeps telling the same story about him — he gives San Antonio a second creator with real force behind it. He grabbed 10 rebounds in 25 minutes, got to his spots, and looked comfortable playing through contact. For a rookie coming off the bench, that kind of steadiness is a luxury most contenders do not have. (nba.com) ### What went wrong for Minnesota? The Wolves never got enough from their offense to make San Antonio uncomfortable. Anthony Edwards finished with 20 points, but he took only 13 shots. Julius Randle had 17 and 10 rebounds, and Ayo Dosunmu chipped in 16, but the team shot 38.6% overall and 27.3% from 3. When your best scorer is being pushed off the ball and the jumpers aren’t falling, every miss starts to feel connected. (nba.com) ### Why did Edwards feel so quiet? Because San Antonio made him work just to touch the game. The Spurs kept crowding his driving lanes and were happy to force the ball elsewhere, trusting the back line to clean up mistakes. NBA’s live recap put it plainly — San Antonio pushed the ball out of Edwards’ hands and limited him to 13 attempts. That’s not a total shutdown, but in a game this important it changes the whole shape of Minnesota’s offense. (nba.com) ### What changes now? Now the pressure flips hard onto Minnesota. The Spurs lead the series 3-2, and Game 6 is Friday night. Instead of this feeling like a long, even fight, it suddenly looks like San Antonio has found the control points — protect the paint, swarm Edwards, then let the depth keep coming in waves. (nba.com) ### Why does this matter beyond one game? Because this is what real contender math looks like. Wembanyama is the headline, but the scary version of the Spurs is the one where the star is great and the support pieces keep creating new problems. That version showed up Tuesday. If it shows up one more time, San Antonio is through. (cbssports.com)