After a convincing 3-1 defeat of the Portland Trail Blazers in round one, the San Antonio Spurs will face a familiar foe in the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves are red hot, coming off a 3-2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, despite missing several key rotation players. The series is set to be a defensive, physical battle that will test the young Spurs and give the Wolves a chance to reach their third straight Western Conference Finals.
The Timbewolves enter the series as underdogs, with multiple players on the injury report. Anthony Edwards’ status is the most interesting of the series as a whole. Edwards has been cleared for on-court opportunities after suffering a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise against Denver. He is listed as questionable for Game 1. Donte DiVincenzo will miss the series after tearing his Achilles tendon in round one. Ayo Dosunmu, who dominated the Nuggets in the first round, is listed as questionable with calf soreness.
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The Spurs come into the series with a full bill of health, but they struggled against Minnesota in the regular season. The Wolves took the regular season series between these two teams 2-1. Two of the three games were settled by 3 points or fewer, and the teams never played each other at full strength. It’s hard to take much from the regular season, other than the fact that these are two top-ten defenses, with superstar shotmakers in Victor Wembanyama and Edwards.
The Timberwolves are undefeated at home in the playoffs, which makes home-court advantage crucial for the Spurs. Winning two games at home will put them in a good position to take the series. It all starts with setting the tone in game one, with the chance to make the WCF for the first time since 2017.
May 4th, 2026 | 8:30 PM CT
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Spurs Injuries: Carter Bryant – Questionable (foot)
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Timberwolves Injuries: Donte DiVincenzo – Out (achilles), Ayo Dosunmu – Questionable (calf), Anthony Edwards – Questionable (knee)
What to watch for:
Minnesota’s Offense
If Edwards and Dosunmu sit, the key question for Minnesota becomes, where do they get offense from? Against Denver, it came from Jaden McDaniels, who is emerging as a star in these playoffs. McDaniels is averaging 17.8 points per game on 49.4% shooting from the field in the playoffs. He’s been a force getting to the rim, but is shooting just 11.1% from deep. The Wolves have also gotten solid production from Naz Reid and Terrance Shannon Jr. without Edwards.
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Denver and San Antonio are two very different defensive teams. The Spurs have been excellent at funneling drivers toward Wembanyama, who has dominated around the rim this postseason. Stephon Castle will have a major challenge in front of him in guarding the Wolves’ best perimeter player, whether it’s Edwards or someone else. If San Antonio’s defense can slow down a surging Minnesota offense attack, they should be in a good position for Game One.
Defensive matchups
Portland showed the league what the blueprint for guarding the Spurs could be in the postseason. They put a big man on Castle, a wing on Wembanyama, and their best perimeter defender on De’Aaron Fox. Ultimately, the Blazers didn’t have the personnel to match up with San Antonio, but the Timberwolves have enough talent to make it interesting.
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch could elect to put former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert on Castle, allowing him to roam the paint as an elite rim protector. Then he could put Julius Randle on Wembanyama. That matchup gave Wembanyama some issues in the regular season, as Randle could get under him and play physical defense. Then, McDaniels, the best perimeter defender, could take the Fox assignment.
Or, Finch could ride the hot hand and just put Gobert on Wembanyama. The Wolves’ center played great defense on Nikola Jokic in round one. That could give Minnesota the confidence to let Gobert handle Wembanyama, even if San Antonio’s star big man has historically dominated that matchup.
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Spurs three-guard lineup
San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson has been hesitant to play his three best guards together this season and in the playoffs. Fox, Castle, and Dylan Harper only logged 10 minutes together in Round One, with a neutral net-rating. In the regular season, the trio played 25 minutes together with a -26.9 net rating. If that doesn’t sound good, it’s because it isn’t. However, this lineup could come in handy against Minnesota.
The Wolves don’t have a lot of strong ball-handlers themselves, and could be bothered by the Spurs’ tough guards on the perimeter. Then, on the other end, the Wolves would need to contest with multiple players who can create their own shots and open up looks for others. If Castle and Harper continue to knock down threes, this is a lineup that could swing the series.
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