Spurs vs. Timberwolves Game 5: Live NBA Playoff Updates, Scores, Stats

Game 5 of the heated Spurs-Timberwolves game is off to the races, with San Antonio leading 59–47 at the half.

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is back on the floor despite his ejection from Sunday’s Game 4, and has been dominant early, posting a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double in the first half alone. The big man was tossed after violently elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid in the head/neck, but still managed to avoid a suspension at the hands of the league office.

Now, were the T’Wolves at all bothered by this good-faith treatment, considering the possible implications for their playoff run? Not at all. In fact, they seem quite eager for the opportunity to face the Alien in a scale-tipping Game 5, with Mike Conley telling reporters that the team expected him to avoid further punishment. Anthony Edwards even said that he felt like the Spurs were more difficult to face after Wemby went out when San Antonio was on offense, because of how it changed the pace of their attack.

More on Edwards and Conley’s comments below our live updates from Game 5.

Live NBA playoff updates, scores and stats at halftime of Game 5 of Spurs vs. Timberwolves

Timberwolves stars speak out after Victor Wembanyama avoided a Game 5 suspension

If the T’Wolves were bothered by the NBA opting against further discipline for Wembanyama, they didn’t show it in the run-up to Tuesday’s game.

“I don’t think we even thought about it much at all,” Mike Conley told reporters before the game on Tuesday. “I think once the ruling came down, it was like, we expected that. Just move forward. We don’t want guys to miss games. We want to play against the best.”

Plus, as star Wolves guard Anthony Edwards explained on Sunday, it might actually work in Minnesota’s favor to have Wembanyama out on the floor, just considering how the Spurs’ offense plays out in that case.

“Honestly, man, I think it was kind of harder?” Ant said of the game without Wemby. “Just because, of course, they're a really great team with him on the floor, but they play a lot slower when he's on the floor, because everything is involved around him. When he’s not on the floor, everybody’s [playing],” Edwards said. “It's just like, when every team is missing their best player, everybody plays free. They get more shots, more confident. So I think it was a lot harder.”

So, there you have it—the league might have actually done the Wolves a solid in letting Wemby play. That said, we’ll have to see how both sides feel when we get a final look at the box score later tonight.

How we got here in the Spurs-Timberwolves series

Game 1: Timberwolves 104, Spurs 102 (San Antonio)
Game 2: Spurs 133, Timberwolves 95 (San Antonio)
Game 3: Spurs 115, Timberwolves 108 (Minnesota)
Game 4: Timberwolves 114, Spurs 109 (Minnesota)

So far, this has probably been the best series of these NBA playoffs. Minnesota overcame a Wembanyama triple-double, including 12 blocks, in Game 1 to steal a win in San Antonio. The Spurs got their revenge in the rematch, scoring the only true blowout of the series so far.

Wembanyama came out on top in an incredible shootout with Anthony Edwards on the road in Game 3. The Alien dropped 39 points and 15 rebounds, while Edwards had 32 points and 14 boards for the losing side. Ant took advantage in Game 4 after Wembanyama’s ejection, taking over in the fourth quarter and finishing with 36 points as the Wolves evened the series.

Game 5 takes us back to San Antonio, setting up what should be a thrilling final few games of this Western Conference semifinal.

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