Anthony Edwards' Hot Shooting Night Leads Timberwolves Over Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs (3-2) fell short 134-122 to the Minnesota Timberwolves (3-2) in what was their second matchup against each other within the past week.
With Devin Vassell and Josh Primo both sidelined due to injury, the Spurs were shorthanded compared to their previous meeting.
Minnesota came out of the gate with a hot offensive performance. Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 34 points in the first quarter, with all five of his made shots coming from beyond the arc. The Timberwolves shot 10-13 (76.8 percent) from 3-point range in the opening period alone — setting a franchise record for makes in a quarter.
Entering the second quarter, the Spurs faced a 39-28 deficit, and their disadvantage continued to grow as they were outscored by a four-point deficit before halftime.
It wasn't until the Spurs scored 41 in the third quarter that they managed to find a real rhythm offensively. Keldon Johnson scored 14 of his 27 total points within the period to help San Antonio come within six points at one point.
The Timberwolves went on a small run to start the fourth quarter, and their lead never came within single digits for the remainder of the game.
In most situations, finishing with 122 points while shooting 43-95 (45.3 percent) from the floor, 16-36 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range, and 20-22 (90.9 percent) on free throws would be enough to win. As for the Spurs, they were unable to contain a Timberwolves offense that received 98 combined points from Edwards (34), Jaylen Nowell (23), Karl-Anthony Towns (21), and Jaden McDaniels (20).
The Spurs will need to tighten up their defensive execution to get back on track as they were in their recent outings. San Antonio's next chance to do so will come against the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
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