9 Adjustments Spurs Made to Dominate Timberwolves in Game 2

SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs didn't panic; they adjusted.

After playing poorly in a Game 1 loss, San Antonio knew they needed to clean up their execution. The players remained confident that they could turn the series around as long as they played with the right level of intensity, and Mitch Johnson and the coaching staff knew they were just a few small tweaks away.

It felt like they spent the day off talking about every little thing that went wrong in Game 1 to make sure it went right in Game 2, and the Spurs responded with one of the most lopsided playoff wins in the history of the franchise.

Here's how they did it.

1. Fox and Wembanyama Pick and Roll

De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama combined for just 21 points in all of Game 1, and both spoke afterward about knowing they need to be better. They came out swinging in Game 2, scoring 28 points in the first half as San Antonio built a huge lead.

From the opening tip, Fox and Wembanyama worked to establish the pick and roll. The Timberwolves' stout defense began to crack under the rim pressure, with the initial action leading to ball movement and second-chance opportunities.

Too much iso ball in the opener mad San Antonio's offense too stale and predictable. Fox and Wemby form one of the league's most dangerous pick-and-roll pairings, and running the play over and over got them both into a rhythm and destabilized Minnesota.

2. Pushing in Transition

The Spurs amped up the pressure defensively, leading the Timberwolves into trouble and turnovers. Minnesota coughed it up 22 times in Game 2 after just 10 in Game 1, and San Antonio capitalized by winning the fastbreak points 29-5.

The Timberwolves got back slowly even off their own made baskets, prompting the announcers on the ESPN broadcast to wonder aloud if they'd try a bit harder to stop the Spurs from running right to the rim.

3. Trap Anthony Edwards

Despite his banged up knees, Anthony Edwards is still a force to be reckoned with. The Spurs decided they'd rather reckon with someone else, sending aggressive traps at him to force the ball out of his hands when he crossed halfcourt even as they built the lead into a blowout.

"Get up, get up!"

Coach Mitch Johnson instructing the Spurs on defense in tonight's Game 2 win 👏

Series even at 1-1 in Round 2 🍿 https://t.co/yASbPBcLHN pic.twitter.com/M9cH8PlYCR
— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2026

"They was playing crazy right?" Edwards said. "I think we gotta watch film on it, find the holes in it... we just didn't make enough shots to get them out of it. I think we struggled to make shots tonight, so they were just content doing it the entire night. I feel like the more we make shots the easier it's gonna be for me. I think attacking early for me, they're picking me up full so just trying to beat that one-on-one full-court press, get downhill and make a play for my teammates."

Edwards finished with 12 points on 5-13 shooting to go with four turnovers and no assists.

4. Castle Flips the Foul Trouble

Steph Castle had fouled out of two of the last three games, but in this one his aggression got one of Minnesota's best defenders into trouble and off the court. Castle shot 9-9 from the free throw line and led all scorers with 21 points.

Early in the second quarter, he drove on Jaden McDaniels and drew contact to make it three early fouls on the formidable wing. He had to hit the bench, and the Spurs blew things open to end the first half.

"You need Jaden on the floor at all times whenever he's available," Edwards said. "Him being off the court is gonna hurt us every time. He knows it, we know it, the whole gym knows it, their team knows it, when he gets in foul trouble they get happy. They know we need him on the floor to affect the game. He's gonna be better next game, he knows he can't really foul because we're not gonna win if he's not on the floor."

5. Carter Bryant

The Spurs struggled against the size of Minnesota's big wings in the previous game, but they were missing their own big wing in Carter Bryant. The rookie was ready for Game 2 and made an impact in a variety of situations.

He dunked, moved the ball, set good screens, got physical with the Timberwolves, and helped match their size and strength. He's one of the only guys on the roster you'd trust to guard both Ant Edwards and Naz Reid, and he did both in this game.

6. One-Guard Lineups

The Spurs have three talented playmaking guards in De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and usually play two of them on the court together at all times.

San Antonio switched it up a bit for stretches in this game. When Minnesota went a bit smaller with Gobert off the floor and Naz Reid and Julius Randle out there, the Spurs dropped a guard for some additional size. Stephon Castle was the lone guard out there with Julian Champagnie, Carter Bryant, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama. At one point Castle picked up a foul and was replaced by Fox.

7. French Vanilla

The Timberwolves sometimes like to go supersized with Gobert at center and both Reid and Randle on the floor as well, and the Spurs can counter that with their own double-big lineup of Wembanyama and Luke Kornet.

In addition to answering Minnesota's size with size, the French Vanilla combo packs the paint and clogs things up. That's especially effective on a night when the opponent is struggling to shoot. Kornet was a force defensively with 3 blocks and 2 steals in just 13 minutes. The Spurs outscored Minnesota by 22 when he was on the floor, a good bounce back after posting a -7 in the opener.

8. Hit Shots

Victor Wembanyama said after the first game that one thing he could do better is hit more shots, and in Game 2 everyone in Silver and Black did that. After shooting a paltry 10-36 from deep on Monday, the Spurs missed their first six attempts of Wednesday night's rematch.

They hit 16 of the last 33 to finish the game at 41%. The Spurs felt pretty good about the quality of shots they generated in the opener, and their results in the second game validated that.

9. More Nasty

"They came out physical, picking up full court, full of energy, and we expected that, but we came out too flat today," Anthony Edwards said, noting that the Spurs played with more desperation.

Mitch Johnson said after Game 1 that his team seemed somewhat hesitant. A bit of that is to be expected in a feel-out game against a tough opponent, but it'll sink you if you let it hang around too long.

Gregg Popovich attended the film session on Tuesday, and one of his most epic quotes of all time applied directly to the situation.

"Are we having fun yet?" Popovich asked his team during the 2012 Western Conference Finals against the Thunder. "I need a little bit more dose of nasty, I'm seeing a little bit of unconfident, a little hesitation. It's not supposed to be easy, every round gets tougher. Penetrate hard, good passes, shoot with confidence. I want some nasty!"

Add us as a preferred source on Google