Blocks, Bricks, and a Big 4th Quarter: How the Wolves Beat the Spurs In Game 1

Everyone picked the Spurs to beat the Wolves, but it took only 48 minutes for Minnesota generate doubt and steal home-court advantage with a 104-102 victory in San Antonio on Monday night.

Victor Wembanyama blocked a dozen shots to set a Spurs record, but Anthony Edwards, playing only nine days after suffering a bone bruise from a hyperextended left knee. scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves, also playing without Ayo Dosunmu (calf) and Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles rupture), set the tone for the best-of-seven conference semifinals.

Minnesota scored 35 points in the fourth quarter and led by as many as nine. Here's everything that stood out, and why the Spurs should be shaking in their boots.

Wemby's block party

Fun fact: Wemby had more blocks in the first half (7) than Nikola Jokic (5) had in the entire first-round series between Minnesota and Denver. Although Wemby might've gotten away with a couple of goaltending blocks and a foul or two, he was a menace at the rim.

Wembanyama finished the game with 12 blocks and 15 rebounds.

Even so, the Spurs only outscored the Wolves in the paint 58-52. That's a shocking stat, which was evident based on Wemby taking so many deep shots while Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels helped control the pain on the defensive end for Minnesota.

Wemby shot just 5 of 17 and scored 11 points.

Anthony Edwards arrived in the fourth quarter

He scored seven points in 11 minutes in the first half and did very little in the third quarter. But the Ant-Man arrived in the fourth quarter with 11 points in the first five minutes and 10 seconds. He hit a pair of three-pointers, including one over Wembanyama, two layups, and a floater.

This angle >>> pic.twitter.com/swPtvz4zeE
— 💫 (@NotLikeAnt) May 5, 2026

In his postgame interview, Edwards lamented a late-game turnover and allowing two offensive rebounds that helped the Spurs stay alive in the final minutes.

"We just gotta stay locked in on the game plan. Especially myself. I can't give up two offensive rebounds to Champagnie," he said. "I may not be as athletic as I usually am, but I gotta be able to box out and make those small plays to win the big-time game."

Spurs should've been concerned at the half

The second quarter featured Minnesota going on a 7-0 run, only for the Spurs to respond with 12 consecutive points. But the Wolves came right back with a 10-2 run. The fact that the Spurs couldn't pull away in the first half when Edwards was limited, Wembanyama had seven blocks, and Jaden McDaniels sat on the bench most of the second quarter with three fouls, should raise a lot of red flags in San Antonio.

Minnesota's missed free throws

At one point in the game, the Wolves were 5 of 13 at the free-throw line. Rudy Gobert was 1 of 5 and missed his first four attempts. Julius Randle was 3 of 6. Minnesota ended the game 12 of 21 at the line, meaning they hit 6 of 8 down the stretch. They obviously have to be a lot better the rest of the series.

Mike Conley and Terrence Shannon Jr. were awesome

Conley hit four three-pointers, including a massive hit from the corner to give Minnesota a 95-86 lead with 4:41 left in the fourth quarter. He finished with 12 points (4 of 7 from three) and six assists.

Shannon, who was spectacular in Game 6 against Denver, picked up where he left off by attacking the basket and blowing by Spurs defenders to get to the rim. He finished with 16 points, with all five of his makes coming on layups. He also went to the free-throw line a bunch, finishing 6 of 8 at the charity stripe.

Spurs could've built a house with so many bricks

After knocking down 4 of 7 three-point shots to start the game, the Spurs went ice-cold the rest of the night by making only six of their next 29 threes. They shot 27.7% overall from deep, but just 20.6% on their last 29 attempts.

Who were the worst offenders? Wemby was 0 for 8 from three, and De'Aaron Fox missed all four of his three-point attempts.

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