Spurs crush Timberwolves to reach Western Conference finals

The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference finals after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 139-109 in Game 6 on Friday night, sealing the playoff series in dominant fashion, News.Az reports, citing AP.

Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 32 points and 11 rebounds in another standout performance from San Antonio’s backcourt. De'Aaron Fox contributed 21 points and nine assists, while rookie Dylan Harper added 15 points off the bench.

The Spurs will now face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night after the Thunder swept through their opening two playoff series.

Victor Wembanyama, who rebounded strongly from his Game 4 ejection with a dominant display in Game 5, was limited offensively in the series-clinching victory but still played a major role defensively. The French star finished with 19 points in 27 minutes after posting 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the previous game.

Although Minnesota focused heavily on containing the 7-foot-4 center, Wembanyama remained a major presence in the paint and consistently supported San Antonio’s fast-paced transition game.

San Antonio’s combination of size, perimeter shooting and defensive discipline proved overwhelming for Minnesota throughout the series. Castle hit his first five shots from beyond the arc and finished 11-of-16 from the field. Fox also shot perfectly from three-point range, going 3-for-3, while Julian Champagnie knocked down four three-pointers as part of his 18-point performance.

The Spurs outscored Minnesota by a combined 97 points across the six-game series and were never behind by double digits at any point.

For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards scored 24 points but struggled with efficiency, shooting 9-for-26 from the field. Reserve players Terrence Shannon Jr. and Naz Reid provided energy off the bench with 21 and 18 points respectively, but Minnesota again found itself frustrated by San Antonio’s aggressive switch-heavy defense.

Julius Randle endured a difficult night, finishing with only three points on 1-for-8 shooting.

The heavy defeat added to a series of disappointing playoff elimination performances for Minnesota in recent years. Last season, the Timberwolves suffered a 30-point defeat against Oklahoma City in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals after trailing by 33 at halftime. In 2024, they also fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals, losing Game 5 by 21 points after entering halftime down by 29.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev