Wembanyama Responds After Ejection as Spurs Take 3-2 Lead

Victor Wembanyama made a statement after his first career ejection, finishing with 27 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Keldon Johnson scored 21, De'Aaron Fox added 18 and Stephon Castle chipped in 17 as San Antonio moved one win from advancing. The Spurs can close out the series and earn a meeting with Oklahoma City by winning Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis.

Anthony Edwards, limited to eight first-half points, finished with 20 for Minnesota. Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels each scored 17.

Wembanyama had been ejected early in the second quarter of Game 4 after a Flagrant 2 foul for an elbow to Naz Reid’s throat, but returned to dominate in Game 5. He was aggressive from the start, shooting 6-of-8 and 2-of-3 from three while piling up 18 points in the opening quarter.

Tempers flared throughout the game: Reid picked up a technical after pushing Wembanyama in the back on a Timberwolves free throw late in the first half, and Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu briefly confronted Wembanyama after an earlier skirmish with McDaniels. That sequence seemed to fuel Wembanyama, who later raced untouched to the rim for a windmill dunk.

Minnesota rallied to open the third quarter with a 14-2 run to erase an 18-point deficit, briefly tightening the contest after tipping away several Spurs alley-oop attempts intended for Wembanyama. San Antonio answered, reestablishing a double-digit advantage midway through the period behind a momentum-shifting block by Johnson on Rudy Gobert and a short jumper after he battled Edwards under the rim.

With Game 6 looming, the Spurs have the chance to advance on the road while Minnesota must stave off elimination and try to force a deciding game back in San Antonio.