Trailing at the break and again in the last quarter, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the last word against San Antonio last night. 15th defeat in a row for the Spurs.
On paper, there was no photo. Leaders in the NBA standings and first in the League in defense, the Timberwolves hosted the Spurs on Wednesday, dead last in the West and beaten in their 14 previous matches. And there was no surprise: Minnesota won 102-94, bringing its record to 16 wins and four losses. With a 15th defeat in a row, San Antonio (3v-17l) is only one setback away from equaling the worst series in its history. The Texan club, however, held on, and even better than that, until the last quarter. And this despite a clumsy Victor Wembanyama (12 pts, 4/13) but in a double-double (10 rbs). The end of a series of four matches in a row with 20 points or more for the Frenchman, out in New Orleans.
«Collectively, we were very solid defensively from the start of the match. Obviously I can do better, but there are a lot of positives to take away from this match. We must keep the good and correct the bad», Analyzes the native of Chesnay, at a press conference (see below), adding that holding the leader in the West to 102 points is “promising». «But our shots did not go in this evening (37.6%, including 22.2 at 3 pts, Editor’s note)… We must use everything to progress“, he further explained, noting “a certain lack of experience. We are a young team. But I’m not worried».
The most prominent “Frenchy” of the evening, however, was not “Wemby”, but Rudy Gobert. Hindered by mistakes in the first period, the former Cholet player scored 16 points, 20 rebounds and 2 blocks. And a monstrous +/-: +31. We found the great Gobert. “We trust each other, we are not afraid of adversity. We were behind at half-time but we had confidence in what we were doing, in our defense. When the going gets tough, we can lean on each other“, he commented after the meeting, speaking to ESPN. And to add: “We had a new state of mind from training camp. From the staff to the players, we could feel that the energy was different, that we had a goal in mind. It’s good to see that the work pays off but there is still a long road ahead of us“. 18 points for teammate Mike Conley, 17 for the returning Anthony Edwards, 15 from Naz Reid and 14 for Karl Anthony Towns. On the San Antonio side, two players with 20 points or more, Darius Vassell (22 pts) and Keldon Johnson (21 pts).
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Gobert trapped by “Wemby”
Clumsy, the T-Wolves started in reverse, and “Wemby” scored the first two points of the match with a little left hand tap, sending Gobert to the mat (4-0). It took almost three minutes to see the locals score their first point (1-4). Locals who woke up quickly and started the machine. With a powerful two-handed dunk on the head of substitute Jeremy Sochan, Gobert allowed his team to take the lead (16-14). In the end, it was a back-and-forth in this first quarter, with Spurs consistent defensively and attacking the circle a lot, but the Wolves ahead by a short header (25-22). Edwards made “Wemby” dance at the restart, but the young Frenchman especially provoked the second and third faults of his elder, Gobert, confined to the bench while “SA”, a time at -6 (25-31), managed very well the second part of the second quarter (42-50, then 46-53 MT). Big performance from Spurs, with already 12 points from Vassell.
After being stuck on the bench because of his mistakes in the second quarter, Gobert attacked hard with six points in a row. Overall, Minnesota was coming back with better intentions, even if Edwards was still down. San Antonio held on (57-62) before taking an 11-0 (69-62). The beginning of the end ? No. Failing to score, “Wemby” provided defense, and the Spurs came back: 71-71 with 12 minutes to play! Suspense.
I love her so much. I want him to succeed, I’m always there for him and I try to help him as much as I can. I’m excited to see what it will become.
Rudy Gobert on Victor Wembayama
Taking advantage of the clumsiness of their hosts, the men of “coach Pop” kept the suspense going (75-77). Alas, Minnesota finally found the target and chained the increases, with Gobert impressive in defense and valuable in attack. A 16-2 to bury a large part of San Antonio’s hopes (91-79). Edwards signed the action of the match, a huge tap-dunk, while Wembanyama fueled the scoring. The Spurs returned to -7, never closer. Gobert was able to come out to the cheers of the public 25 seconds from the end (102-94 final score). A deserved ovation.
He did not fail to have a nice word for Wembanyama after the meeting: “I love her so much. I want him to succeed, I’m always there for him and I try to help him as much as I can. I’m excited to see what it will become“. “Wemby” is already planning on… the 2024 Olympics in Paris. “We talk a lot with Rudy, I have a lot to learn from him. It’s great to play against him, but it will also be great to play with him in the French team», he slips. That promises… In the meantime, “his” San Antonio Spurs have a meeting with two teams within their reach during their next two matches, Chicago on Friday and Houston on Monday. The opportunity to return to victory?
