How Spurs Almost Won Game 4 Even After Wembanyama's Ejection, And Why They Didn't

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Spurs had a chance to win Game 4 on the road even after their superstar's shocking ejection, but his absence undoubtedly swung the game to the Timberwolves.

Victor Wembanyama got tossed early in the second quarter after elbowing Naz Reid in the chin, and the Timberwolves took full advantage to eke out a 114-109 win.

"We gotta capitalize when Wemby got threw out of the game," Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said on the NBC broadcast after scoring 16 of his 36 points in the fourth. "We came out thinking like it was gonna be easy, but those guys are really good even without Wemby, so we had to just play hard, and I had to take it upon myself and try to get us a win."

Anthony Edwards speaks with Zora Stephenson after his CLUTCH performance helped the Wolves tie the series at 2. pic.twitter.com/jqZGHUHFeZ
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) May 11, 2026

The Spurs were able to make things difficult for Edwards and the home team with meaningful contributions from their trio of guards and the big fella's backup.

"Phenomenal," coach Mitch Johnson said of his team's response. "Had a chance to win, things we could have been better at. Didn't close it out the way we wanted to, but I thought the reaction, obviously, was phenomenal. We're leading there until the end. They made some shots, we didn't, didn't finish possession with some rebounds, got some tough whistles, but Minnesota made some plays and they finished the game, but I thought the guys reacted in a phenomenal way."

San Antonio got 68 points out of De'Aaron Fox, Steph Castle and Dylan Harper, a positive sign as the series becomes best two out of three. Wemby did meet that 65-game minimum, but only just, and the Spurs have grown through the pain of not having him out there.

"We've played now 18 games without Vic this year, 17 in the regular season and one playoff game, so we have some experience," Fox said.

"And, you know, I think that made us better as a team," he said. Whenever you don't have him out there, you got to figure out a way to pick up the production that he leaves behind, both offensively, defensively. No one person is going to pick that up by themselves. So throughout the course of the season, didn't have him for some of those stints as a team, we had to grow because he's not out there us, and that's a big chunk that's gone whenever he's not playing."

Luke Kornet started 25 games for San Antonio this year when Wemby was either out or working his way back in. He's one of the best backup centers in the league, and the only other true center that the Spurs really trust in these playoffs. When he needs a break and Wemby is out they've been going to rookie wing Carter Bryant for a small-ball look.

Kornet performed admirably in his 26 minutes, logging 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The score stayed even when he was on the floor, and he did everything he could to make things difficult for Minnesota. The Spurs actually managed to build an eight-point advantage in the second half, and he was a big part of that.

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) wrestles with San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) for position. — May 10, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) wrestles with San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) for position near the net in the fourth quarter of game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

"He stepped up big time for us, we needed all those minutes and all those rebounds and verticality and everything," said Dylan Harper. "He stepped up in a big way, and I think he's gonna keep stepping up like that, no matter what."

As well as Kornet played, and as good a rim protector as he is, the Timberwolves did have some success attacking him in space. His drop coverage in pick and rolls provided some opportunities for shots and drives, and on multiple occasions he got passed on the perimeter.

The Timberwolves shot just 37% from the floor before Wembanyama got tossed, and they improved to 49% after that. Coming into the night, San Antonio sported the league's best defensive rating in the playoffs at 103 points per 100 possessions. That number will take a hit after this one, as Minnesota scored over 118 points per 100 possessions after Wembanyama got tossed.

To put it another way, the Spurs' defense which has been even more staunch than the best team in the regular season got dropped down to what the 25th-ranked Brooklyn Nets did on that end this year.

Things also went wrong for San Antonio on the other side of the floor. The offense struggled by almost every measure imaginable. They shot 6-26 from beyond the arc in the game, 3-15 after the ejection. Without Wembanyama collapsing the defense, San Antonio logged just 11 assists to 9 turnovers in the final 32 minutes.

While the scoring total was good for that trio of Fox, Castle and Harper, it wasn't the most efficient. Fox shot 35% from the floor and 1-7 from deep, though he did get to the free throw line more than anyone else. Harper shot 8-11, and added another 20-point playoff performance off the bench.

"He's been big for us," Fox said of Harper after the game. "Made big shots, played big minutes, doing that at 20 years old. It's definitely not something that's normal. We want him to stay in attack mode while he's out there, he's been big for us, both offensively and defensively. He's helped us get to this spot, just throughout the course of the season and this playoff run."

San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) goes to the basket between Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30). — May 10, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) goes to the basket between Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) and guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) in the first quarter of game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Edwards was the best player on the floor after Wemby took himself out of the game, and Gobert made a huge impact at the rim in the final few minutes.

"He's a good player," Castle said of Edwards. "I mean, I wouldn't say he got away from us. I think we were contesting most of his shots. We were showing crowds when we needed to, I just think he's a really good player. He made a lot of tough shots so I mean, just try and do the same thing in Game 5, slow him down and try to contest to make a move."

"We still had a chance," said Fox, "They executed better than we did down the stretch."

The Spurs will feel that they missed a huge opportunity to take a commanding lead in the series. However, much like the two-point loss in Game 1, a lot of things had to go wrong for San Antonio and right for Minnesota for the Timberwolves to scrap out a victory. It's a reminder that the Spurs have a much larger margin for error than Minnesota, and that's reassuring as the series heads back to the Alamo City.

"I would've liked to win, I think that was the biggest thing, the biggest goal for all of us," Harper said. "But it being close, you gotta nod your head to something. All the good things we did, we can do even better. I think that's a positive."

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