San Antonio Spurs Attempt a Rally, Fall Short Against Minnesota Timberwolves

Behind great individual performances from Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, the San Antonio Spurs failed to secure a win in their NBA In-Season Tournament Debut.

The San Antonio Spurs put their head down to start the game and surged to a double-digit lead in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves. By halftime, the Spurs were losing.

The small halftime deficit ballooned to 18 points five minutes into the fourth quarter. Despite final frame heroics by Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs failed to secure a win in their first In-Season Tournament game, losing 117-110.

Going into the game, a main concern was the Spurs' total inability to guard the three-point line. The Spurs were not abhorrent, but allowing the Wolves to go 10 of 27 from deep did not help the effort.

Jeremy Sochan has come under fire for his play at the point guard position, but he added 14 points and five assists, as well as three steals. Unfortunately, his game was punctuated by losing the ball. Sochan committed six of the Spurs' 14 turnovers.

On the bright side, Devin Vassell seems to have returned to form after missing multiple games with injury. The wing went six of 11 from deep, scoring 29 points.

Victor Wembanyama fulfilled a childhood dream, blocking Rudy Gobert twice en route to four total blocks, which paired well with 29 points. Of course, putting up those numbers in a win would always be nice. 

The Spurs had an interesting problem all night: free throw making. The Spurs shot an appalling 63 percent from the line, down from 75 percent on the season. If the Spurs made their free throws at a normal rate, the final score would have been 117-112, still a loss.

Entering the game, it was safe to say that the Timberwolves were the better team, but with early hope established, the Spurs kept themselves in the contest and could have pulled out a win if they maintained their momentum.