MINNEAPOLIS : Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-109 on Sunday, evening their Western Conference second-round playoff series at 2-2.
Naz Reid added 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Minnesota, which capitalised after Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was ejected in the second quarter for a flagrant foul.
“Small-time plays win big-time games,” Edwards told reporters. “Diving on the floor, offensive rebounds — that’s what we needed.”
Wembanyama was thrown out with 8:39 remaining in the first half after striking Reid in the chin with a swinging elbow while protecting the ball following a rebound. Officials reviewed the play before upgrading the foul to a flagrant 2, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Crew chief Zach Zarba said the decision was based on “windup, impact and follow-through above the neck of an opponent.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson defended his player’s need to protect himself while stressing he did not condone the contact.
“I’m glad Naz Reid is OK and I didn’t want him to elbow him,” Johnson said. “But Wemby’s going to have to protect himself if no one else does for him.”
Minnesota led 60-56 at halftime behind 18 first-half points from Edwards, while Stephon Castle paced San Antonio with 14 before the break.
Despite losing Wembanyama, the Spurs surged ahead in the third quarter and carried an 84-80 advantage into the final period after a late basket from Keldon Johnson.
De’Aaron Fox extended San Antonio’s lead to 94-86 with a three-pointer midway through the fourth, but Edwards responded with 12 points during a decisive 14-5 Timberwolves run.
Edwards tied the game with free throws before drilling a long three-pointer to put Minnesota ahead. Rudy Gobert later delivered a powerful dunk to stretch the lead to six with under two minutes remaining.
The Spurs cut the deficit to three in the closing seconds through free throws by Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie, but Ayo Dosunmu sealed the win from the line for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves shot 44.7% from the field and made 10 three-pointers, while San Antonio hit just 6-of-26 from beyond the arc.
