Spurs clinch West finals 139-109

The San Antonio Spurs closed out the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 139-109 road win on Friday, May 15, sending San Antonio to the Western Conference finals for the first time in nearly a decade. Stephon Castle scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Spurs led by nine after one quarter, 13 at halftime and 26 entering the fourth, according to the NBA and Associated Press. The result gave San Antonio a 4-2 series win and set up a conference finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had already advanced. The NBA schedule lists Game 1 for Monday, May 18, in Oklahoma City. ### How one-sided was the closeout game? San Antonio scored 36 points in the first quarter, 38 in the second and 36 in the third, never allowing Minnesota to make a sustained run. The Spurs finished 18-for-38 from 3-point range, which the Associated Press said was a franchise postseason record for made 3-pointers. De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists, and rookie Dylan Harper scored 15 off the bench. (nba.com) Minnesota got 24 points from Anthony Edwards and 18 from Naz Reid, but the Timberwolves shot 9-for-35 from beyond the arc and were outscored 65-48 in the second half. Edwards told reporters after the game, “They were just the better team,” according to the Associated Press account. (foxsports.com) ### What did the series numbers say about San Antonio? The NBA’s series page lists San Antonio at 120.7 points per game to Minnesota’s 104.5 across the six games. That 16.2-point average gap amounts to a 97-point differential over the series, a measure of how consistently San Antonio controlled the matchup from Game 1 through Game 6. Victor Wembanyama averaged 19.8 points and 12.0 rebounds in the series, while Edwards averaged 23.7 points for Minnesota. (foxsports.com) Game 5 had already swung the series back toward San Antonio with a 126-97 Spurs win, and Game 6 followed the same pattern. Fox and Castle repeatedly got into the lane, and Wembanyama added 19 points in the clincher, according to the NBA recap listings and AP report. ### Who set the tone for the Spurs? Stephon Castle was the clearest statistical driver in Game 6. (nba.com) Fox Sports’ box score lists him with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and AP described his performance as another dominant game from San Antonio’s backcourt. Fox’s 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting gave the Spurs a second efficient scorer, while Wembanyama’s 19 points kept Minnesota from loading up on either guard. Victor Wembanyama struck a measured note after the win. “Of course we’re confident, but we need to keep the right confidence level,” he said, according to the Associated Press. Mitch Johnson, who has been leading the Spurs on the sideline this postseason, also appeared in the NBA’s postgame media availability from Minneapolis. (foxsports.com) ### What happened to Minnesota’s push after Game 4? Minnesota had tied the series 2-2 with a 114-109 win on May 10 after Wembanyama was ejected early in Game 4, according to Reuters and AP reports from that game. That result gave the Timberwolves a path back into the series, but San Antonio answered by winning Game 5 by 29 points and Game 6 by 30. (usnews.com) Chris Finch’s team never recovered its offensive rhythm over the final two games. The Timberwolves averaged 104.5 points in the series, compared with San Antonio’s 120.7, according to the NBA series summary. ### When do the Spurs play Oklahoma City? The NBA schedule shows San Antonio opening the Western Conference finals at Oklahoma City on Monday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m. (whbl.com) PT. Game 2 is set for May 20 in Oklahoma City, before the series shifts to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on May 22 and May 24. Games 5 through 7 are scheduled for May 26, May 28 and May 30 if necessary. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)