'A Great Shot' | Why Spurs Didn't Call Timeout at End of Game 1 Loss to Timberwolves

SAN ANTONO -- Despite all their struggles in the first 47 minutes and 59 seconds of Game 1 against the Timberwolves, the Spurs had a perfect shot to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Every player and coach on the floor for San Antonio knew it was the right shot to take. Everyone in the fiesta-colored crowd thought it was going in. So did Spurs sharpshooter Julian Champagnie, who missed out on being the hero by an inch.

"Felt pretty solid, missed the shot," Champagnie said shortly afterward, clearly disappointed, but more determined than dejected. "On to the next."

MINNESOTA HOLDS ON!

THEY TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD ON THE ROAD 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Ecieyb7rum
— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2026

Champagnie's determination is one of the main reasons the Spurs got a shot for the win in the first place. The score of the defensive slog stayed close throughout, but late in the fourth quarter the visitors were able to build a nine-point advantage.

"It's just nine," Champagnie said. "In the NBA, you see guys come back from 20 all the time. We've done it a couple times this year, that team did it a couple times this year. I don't really think you're ever fully out of the game until the clock is over. We weren't sitting there hanging our heads talking about, oh, we're not gonna win this game. We can't get back in this game, because we did."

Champagnie is known for his shooting, but has become an unsung hero in the rebound department. With 1:34 left and one thing on his mind, he crashed the glass for an offensive board and putback to cut it to five. A few seconds later Victor Wembanyama missed a layup and again Champagnie crashed for the board, getting it back to Wembanyama. Wemby missed again, and again Champagnie was there to collect the miss and force it up and into the basket. He recorded three offensive rebounds and four points in 27 seconds.

"Just did a good job with the sense of urgency," coach Mitch Johnson said. "We were down, and so we were trying to play quick, because it was a math problem at some point in terms of possessions and time left and what the score was. And he had some great multiple efforts there to keep us in the game. Got some good looks, missed em, and offensive rebounds has been emphasis for us all year, but especially in those situations, you got to crash."

Johnson often speaks about honoring the basketball gods and the idea that when players put energy into the right things, they'll be rewarded for it. Down two with just seconds left, the Spurs forced a miss and grabbed the ball. Johnson had a timeout in his pocket but elected not to use it. Many questioned the decision, but it was probably the right one given how dangerous San Antonio is in transition and how unprepared Minnesota was for the break in that moment.

"On the last play, we just got a rebound, and it felt like [the Timberwolves] weren't organized, and there was enough time for us to push the ball and get a look," Johnson said. "We didn't push it right away, so it got to be that death knock time where you gotta call time out or not. I thought Dylan did a good job pushing the ball, kicks ahead to Julian. Julian had a fly by, got a 3-pointer in rhythm, and no problem with the shot. That was a great shot. I hope he shoots it every time."

"I mean, we got a great shot," Dylan Harper said. "I'm taking that shot 10 out of 10 times, best shooter on the team, wide open. I mean, you can't ask for a better shot. So, I mean, you just got to live with it. Sometimes it's gonna go in, sometimes it's not gonna go in, I mean, that's nothing to dwell our head on. I think just watch it back to film, I think there's other areas we can improve in than that one last shot."

Champagnie shot 62% from 3 in the first round, capping the series with 19 points on 5-7 from deep in the clincher. Early in that game he hit the same exact pump fake sidestep that would have sent the San Antonio crowd into a joyful frenzy, from the same spot.

FWIW...Julian Champagnie hit the same shot from nearly the exact same spot last game

Don't mind the timeout not being called when you get a look like that to win the game#Porvida | #GSG pic.twitter.com/BDUdwbyfsm
— Cory Mose (@Cory_Mose) May 5, 2026

"I know we gave ourselves the best shot with all the mistakes that we made throughout the game, and we just need to finish," Chamoagnie said.

The Spurs shot 42% from beyond the arc as a team against Portland, the most accurate team in the playoffs until a 10-36 stinker against Minnesota. For all his defensive domination, Wembanyama went 0-8 from deep and De'Aaron Fox added four more misses without a make, in a game the Spurs lost by two points.

"That's a pretty good team right there, pretty good team, so I feel like that was to be expected, you know, that was different from the Portland series, not saying that they're a bad team or anything, but this is just a different team," Champagnie said. "So we kind of knew that it was going to be a different feel, a different level of attention that we're going to have to bring to the game because of all the challenges they do have on that team."

Much like his last shot, Champagnie felt that the whole game was right on the edge of being won by the home team.

"I thought we did a pretty solid job, honestly and truly," he said. I think there are things that we go back and clean up. I mean, we lost by two. So you could go back through the game and take away one offensive rebound bucket, one free throw, block out bucket, and the game is tied. You know, obviously we can't do that, because you never know how the game's gonna end up. But there are a couple things that we could, go to the gym, watch, figure out for the next day, the next game on Wednesday."

"On to the next," Champagnie said. "I'll keep stressing that."

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